My Boss' Daughter
by LycanBeks
Summary: Few people know that Gibbs and Jenny's relationship never really ended with Paris. See what happened if they were together for all that time. AU. In this story, Gibbs has been at NCIS for 30 years at the beginning of season 3. Will contain NCIS:LA characters. Mainly Tony/OC
1. Chapter 1

Character Bios

Elizabeth Helena Gibbs "Lizzy" - 25, long, curly, brown hair, blue-green eyes. Went to culinary school in San Francisco for 3 years. Then, went to study in Paris for 1 ½ years, Spain for 6 months, Italy for 6 months, and Istanbul for 1 year. Birthday: January 29th. Personality: Very calm, patient, and sweet. But when provoked, channels her father.

Rachel Jennifer Gibbs – 24, long red hair, blue eyes. Psychology major, getting her masters on the subject. Dating marine Staff Sergeant Jason Clarkson. Wants to be an agent. Has her mother's director personality mixed with her father's. Birthday: April 5th.

Chloe Heather Gibbs – 16, shoulder length, brown hair, green eyes. Junior in high school. On the swim team, basketball team, and softball team. Wants to be a nurse. Her best friend since she was 2 was Benny Rodriguez who wants to be a pro-baseball player. Personality: Always helps people and is a tomboy. Birthday: July 22nd.

Anne Kelly Gibbs "Annie" - 15, long, wavy, brown hair, blue eyes. Looks like her sister Kelly. Freshman in high school. Has her sister Kelly's personality. On the same teams as her sister and plays the piano. Wants to be an intelligence analyst. Birthday: May 13th. Partially deaf in one ear. Diagnosed when she was 2.

Languages: All of them can speak French, Spanish, and Russian, and ASL. Elizabeth can also speak Italian, Turkish, and Arabic.

Timeline: in the beginning of season 3, May 2005.

Chapter 1

Special Agent Gibbs walked out of the bullpen to get coffee while his team kept working. It was around twenty minutes later when a petite red-head with blue eyes got off the elevator and walked with confident steps over to the three agents.

"Well, well, well, how can I help you?" Tony asked looking her up and down.

"I'm looking for Special Agent Gibbs and Director Shepard. Have you seen either?"

"Gibbs went out and I believe that the Director is in her office upstairs." She was already walking up the stairs before Tony finished.

The red-head walked upstairs and didn't bother to knock on the Director's door. The Director turned around ready to yell at Agent Gibbs when she saw who was standing at the door. "Rachel what are you doing here?"

"Hi, mom. No hi or hug?" Jenny got up and hugged her daughter. Rachel hugged right back.

"Where are your sisters?"

"We decided to see who could get here first. Of course I won."

"Of course you did, but you did have an unfair advantage."

"Like?"

"Like the fact that two of your sisters do not have cars or licenses and the other is probably jet lagged and you have a severe case of road rage."

"Technicalities." Rachel scoffed.

In the Bullpen

"What the hell?" Tony said looking at Ziva and McGee.

"Don't look at me." McGee said. Ziva just smirked and went back to work.

Not even five minutes after the red-head went upstairs to the Director's office, two high school girls came into the bullpen. The older girl had her hair pulled back in a ponytail that had the tail coming out of the back of her LA Dodgers hat. The young girl had her hair in a braid. They were both wearing school uniforms.

"Uh, hi." Tony said getting the girl's attention.

"Hi, do you know where Special Agent Gibbs is?" the girl with the braid asked.

"He went out."

"Coffee." Both girls said together.

"Uh, yeah."

"What about Director Shepard?" the older girl asked.

"This is the second time this happened in the last five minutes." Tony said to himself but both girls heard him.

"Dammit, Rachel beat us here." the younger one said.

"I told Benny to drive faster. Whatever, let's get upstairs. Thank you."

"I told you she was going to beat us here. If you stopped flirting with your boyfriend we would have gotten here first."

"For the hundred millionth time he is not my boyfriend." the two girls argued as they made their way upstairs.

"Seriously, what the hell?" Tony said. McGee just shrugged while Ziva just continued to smirk.

"Another fifteen minutes passed when the elevator doors opened again. This time a girl with long, curly hair tied into a high ponytail wearing dark wash jeans, a yellow tank top, and brown boots walked in. Everyone was staring at her, except Tony who was trying to get some paperwork done but was having difficulty due to the elevator opening and closing every few minutes. "Excuse me, have you seen Special Agent Gibbs?"

"He's out. Let me guess, you want to know where the Director is?" Tony said still not looking up.

"By your tone, I can only assume that three girls came in before me asking the same thing."

"Yes they did. The director is in her office upstairs." Tony finally looked up and was gobsmacked.

"Thank you. Can you point me in the direction of the restroom?"

She smiled at him and went to the bathroom with every male and even some females looking at her.

"Damn that one was gorgeous. Did you see her, McGoo?"

"Yes I did, Tony. She was very pretty."

"Pretty? Pretty? Pretty doesn't even begin to describe her. I wonder why she was looking for Gibbs?"

"Maybe she's his neighbor or something." McGee suggested.

"Then why ask for the Director?"

"Tony, I don't know. I'm trying to work."

"I'm going to get her number."

"If you say so, Tony." Ziva said with a smirk.

"And what are you smiling at Zee-vah?"

"Here's a better question, DiNozzo, why aren't you working?" Gibbs said walking to his desk.

"Sorry, boss." Tony said.

Gibbs sat at his desk. "Boss there were a few young ladies here looking for you." McGee said.

"Really, where are they, McGee?"

"Upstairs with the Director but one is in the bathroom."

"What did they look like?"

"Well two of them were only in high school. They had brown hair. The third girl was a petite red-head with a bad attitude. I think her name is Rachel." Tony said. "And the one in the bathroom has long, curly, brown hair, green-blue eyes, smokin' hot, boss."

Just then, said girl appeared and Tony noticed that her hair was out of its ponytail and was cascading down her back. She stood in front of Gibbs' desk until he looked up at her. He smiled at her and got up from his seat. They both walked over to the elevator but not before Gibbs head-slapped DiNozzo.

Both of them walked into the elevator and pushed the 4th floor button. Before the elevator got there, the girl shut the elevator off and turned to hug Gibbs. Gibbs hugged her right back and kept kissing the top of her head.

"We missed you around here, Lizzy."

"I missed you too, daddy. So much."

"Well you're back now. Come on, let's go upstairs. Your sisters and mother are upstairs in your mother's office." Gibbs turned the elevator on and they walked to Jenny's office."

Gibbs opened the door to the office and Lizzy was engulfed by a fierce from her mother. She hugged her back then hugged her two youngest sisters, Annie and Chloe. When she got to her sister Rachel, Rachel said, "You owe me a hundred bucks."

"Don't worry. You'll get your damn money. Now get over here and give me a hug." Lizzy said hugging her sister.

"C'mon, I'm taking all five of my girls out for lunch." Gibbs said smiling.

They walked out of the office and went into the garage. Gibbs and Jenny in one car and the girls in Rachel's car. "Rachel, let's go to that Mexican place. Take our usual route." Gibbs said.

"You got it, daddy." Rachel said innocently but with a smirk on her face.

Gibbs got in the car and smirked at Jenny. "Jethro, if you race with Rachel I will-" Gibbs turned on the car and floored it, instantly silencing her. Rachel did the same with her car. Except all of the occupants in her car were screaming.

When they got to the restaurant, both cars screeched to a halt at the exact same time. They all got out and Annie fell to her knees and said, "Land! Solid Land!"

"Don't be so melodramatic." Rachel said.

"I'm the baby of the family, it is my job to be melodramatic."

Gibbs smiled at them and said, "That's my girl."

"So are the other three." Jenny said.

"I know that, Jen." He said while wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I know. Hey, c'mon you four, let's eat."

The four of them ran to their parents and they walked inside. They sat down at a table and ordered their meals.

"So what's been going on since I've been away?"

"Not much. Just your mother's promotion." Gibbs said not wanting to talk about his recently deceased Junior Agent.

"What about my three baby sisters?"

"Well, I'm starting my internship at PsyOps next week." Rachel said.

"I can't believe you're going to work there." Gibbs said.

"Just more psychological training for when I become an agent."

"What about you two, Chloe, Annie?"

"I got the position I wanted on the swim team." Chloe said.

"You got the 100 foot freestyle?"

"Yup."

"Nothing new with me since I talked to you last week." Annie replied.

"O.K. So I want to cook for all you tonight. What do you guys want?" Lizzy asked.

All of the girls started listing the different they wanted but Lizzy just looked at her father and asked, "Daddy, what do you want?"

"Whatever, you want, baby girl." Gibbs said while kissing her forehead.

"O.K. I have a few courses in mind and it will be ready by 7:00."

"They better be delicious for all the time you spent abroad learning how to cook." Rachel said with a smile.

"Trust me, it will be."

They all went their separate ways after lunch. "I'll be home soon." Jenny told her girls.

Gibbs walked into the squad room and noticed Tony pestering McGee and Ziva. "DiNozzo, get back to work." Gibbs said while giving him a head slap. Gibbs sat at his desk but noticed from his peripheral vision that Tony kept glancing his way. "What, DiNozzo?"

"Umm, boss, I was just wondering-"

"Spit it out, DiNozzo."

"Right, boss, who were those four girls that came?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Well, McGee wanted to know but is too shy to ask."

"Really? Well you can tell McGee that they were here visiting their father."

Tony who was taking a sip of his coffee, spit it out when Gibbs said those words. "What?" He rasped out while choking.

"You become hard of hearing, DiNozzo?"

"No, boss. How come you never told us?"

"You never asked."

"So who's their mother?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Curiosity."

"Their mother is my former partner. And she is now out Director."

"Wait, the Director of NCIS is their mother? Are you two married?" McGee asked.

"Yes and yes."

Tony looked at Ziva and said, "Why are you not in shock?"

"Because I already knew all of this, Tony."

"How?"

"Jenny and I worked together for years. Did you really think we weren't going to talk about our persona lives?"

"Hey get back to work." Gibbs said gruffly. "Oh and, DiNozzo, never talk about my daughter like that ever again."

"Understood, boss."

"Good."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any other characters you recognize, only the Ocs.

Chapter 2

The MCRT was looking into the death of a petty officer. McGee was downstairs with Abby, processing evidence, Ziva and Gibbs were off talking to the petty officer's family and friends, and Tony was stuck in the office looking for the car that was seen at the crime scene. "This makes no sense." Tony said.

"Maybe it doesn't make sense because you are being played." a voice said. Tony looked up to see Lizzy standing there with a smile on her lips.

Tony smiled at her too and said, "Hi."

"Hi."

"So what were you saying about being played?"

"Well rule 36 says 'if it feels like you're being played, then you probably are.' A witness told you about the car being there?"

"Yeah."

"But the car wasn't there when he said?"

"Right again." Tony said.

"Then maybe your witness has something to hide. That's why they lied."

Tony looked at her in shock for a minute before smiling. "You're really good at this. Ever thought of being an agent?"

"Well I do have two very good agents as parents and I did think of being an agent when I was younger but I realized that it wasn't for me."

"So what do you do now?"

"I'm starting a catering company with three of my friends."

"Catering? You can cook?"

"Yup. My specialities are appetizers and desserts."

"Ah, the first bite and the happy ending."

"Yeah. That's what I always say." she said with a smile.

"Maybe you can cook something for me one of these days."

"Maybe. But it all depends."

"Depends on what?"

"On whether you ask me out or not."

"Well I would but-"

"But you're afraid my father or mother will kill you."

"Yeah."

"You don't really seem like the type that cares what a girl's parents have to say."

"I generally don't."

"So what's the problem? I mean what is so wrong with getting to know one another?"

"Nothing. Alright, how about tomorrow night, we can get coffee?"

"Sounds good. Here's my number."

"I will definitely be giving you a call."

"I hope you do." She said with a smile.

"Just then Gibbs and Ziva returned to the squad room. "Hi, daddy." She saw the look her father was giving her. "Sorry, I mean, Agent Gibbs."

"What are you doing here, Lizzy?"

"Apparently, helping Agent DiNozzo. I was just reminding him of rule 36."

"Rule 36?" Ziva asked.

"'If it feels like you're being played, then you probably are.'" Gibbs answered simply. "What did you find out, DiNozzo?"

"Well our witness has something to hide. The car described was nowhere near the scene it was in another state. Oh and you daughter would have made one hell of a agent."

"Yeah, maybe I should have her take your place on this team, DiNozzo. So if you don't want to lose your job, I suggest you get back to work." Gibbs was working on his computer when he noticed Lizzy standing in front of his desk. "Something I can help you with, Lizzy?"

"Yeah, I'm here to pick you and mo- I mean the Director up."

"Why?"

"I'm kidnapping the two of you for the afternoon."

"Again, why?"

"Rachel and I want to show the two of you something."

"Lizzy-"

"Daddy, please, this is important." She made her eyes big and pouted her lips.

"Oh no, that look may have worked when you were five but it sure as hell isn't going to work on me twenty years later." She just continued to look at him. "O.k. O.k. Come on let's get your mother."

Gibbs and Lizzy walked upstairs to see Jenny grabbing her purse. "I hope you're getting your purse because of what we talked about last night?" Lizzy asked Jenny.

"Yes I am."

"Wait, Jen. Do you know where they're taking us?"

"Not a clue. They just told me that there was something they needed to show us."

"Come on you two, let's go." Lizzy said.

In the car, Lizzy was driving them to their destination. She stopped in front of a small store with a 'For Rent' sign out front. "What is this, Lizzy?" Jenny asked.

"This is where I'm going to be working."

"What?"

"Yeah. C'mon I'll show you two around." Lizzy showed her parents around and asked, "What do you guys think?"

"If you're happy, then we're happy." Jenny said hugging her daughter.

"Thanks, mom."

"Lizzy, I thought Rachel was going to be here too?"

"What, I'm not enough for you, daddy?" she said jokingly.

"You know what I mean."

"We have one more stop. Rachel's meeting us there."

"They drove to a series of apartment complexes. They saw Chloe, Rachel, and Annie standing out front. Lizzy parked the car and they all got out. "Why are we here, Lizzy?" Jethro asked having a sneaking suspicion what it was all about.

"You'll see." she said.

The six of them went up to the fifth floor and entered apartment 5B. Rachel said, "O.k. this is the living room and that's the kitchen, it has a small dining room next to it. Now if you come down this hallway, there's two bathrooms, an extra room, and this door leads to my room."

"Your room?" Jenny asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, mom." Rachel said.

"And if you come int the room next door. It is my room." Lizzy said.

"Your room? You're moving too?" Jenny asked.

"Yeah. Mom, are you o.k.?" Lizzy asked concerned upon seeing the tears in her mother's eyes.

"I'm fine. I knew this day was coming but I thought that you four would move out on your own one at a time, not all at once."

"Mom, we're not all moving out. You still have two kids at home." Chloe said hugging her mom.

"Daddy, you've been very quiet." Rachel said.

"What's the security like around here?"

"There's a security system but no guards. Why?" Lizzy asked.

"I just want you two safe."

"Daddy, we'll be fine. You taught us how to break a mugger's nose."

"Yeah, but this is different. You two will be on your own. I won't be there to always protect you two."

"Daddy, you taught us well. Both of you did." Lizzy said to her parents.

"So when are you two moving?" Jenny asked.

"This weekend." They said together.

"That soon?"

"Mom, we're not moving out of state, just to a new place."

"I like it."

"Thanks, Annie." Lizzy said hugging her sister.

"We have to get back if you're going to make that meeting, Jen." Jethro said.

"Oh my god, it's already 3:30. We have to get back."

"Come on, I'll drive you two back." Rachel said.

Twenty minutes later, they were back at NCIS and Jenny ran up to MTAC. Gibbs just calmly walked to his desk and continued working on the case.

"Uh, boss?"

"Yeah, DiNozzo?"

"When I first met you, you were getting divorced but you never said you got remarried."

"The Director and I got divorced then I married ex-wife number four. When I met you I was divorcing Stephanie and a month later, Jen and I realized we wanted to be together. We got married a week after that. Now, no more questions about my marriage."

That weekend, Rachel and Lizzy moved into the apartment with more tears being shed. Before leaving, Jethro pulled Rachel and Lizzy aside and said, "Here, I got one for both of you." He handed both of them a box that had pepper spray, handcuffs, and a gun.

"Dad, what is all of this?" Rachel asked.

"I want both of you safe. This building doesn't have the greatest security and these will protect you. And if you two need anything, call."

"You know we will." They hugged their father tightly.

"I love you both. Don't ever forget that." Jethro said before leaving with Jenny, Annie, and Chloe.

"O.k. They're gone. Tell me about your date from the other night." Rachel said.

"Alright."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Previously:

"O.k. They're gone. Tell me about your date from the other night." Rachel said.

"Alright."

Now:

Lizzy began telling her sister what happened on her date Wednesday night.

Flashback:

_ Lizzy drove up to the coffee shop and took a deep breath before getting out of the car. Something about Tony was so alluring to her but she didn't know what. She hadn't felt this way about anyone in a long time. She walked to the coffee shop and saw Tony sitting outside waiting for her. When he saw her, he got up and smiled. She smiled back and approached him. "Hey." he said._

_ "Hi. Sorry I'm late. My dad, well you know how he is."_

_ "Don't apologize. And yeah I do know what he's like. Wait he doesn't know that you're here with me, right?"_

_ "Tony, if my father knew I was going to meet you, he would be the one here right now, not me."_

_ "Good point. Shall we."_

_ "Sure."_

_ "O.k. What do you want?"_

_ "A cappuccino."_

_ "Really, considering your father, I would have that you would take your coffee with nothing in it."_

_ "Sometimes I do, but when I was in Italy I grew a taste for it."_

_ "You were in Italy?"_

_ "For six months. I was apprenticing under Chef Mario Frittoli."_

_ "Really?"_

_ "Yup. He taught me all about Italian cuisine. I can even make pasta from scratch."_

_ "So is that where you were recently?"_

_ "No. I was in Istanbul."_

_ "Istanbul, why?"_

_ "I always liked Middle Eastern food and I wanted to learn how to make it. Plus I wanted to be a well-rounded chef."_

_ "So where else have you studied?"_

_ "I spent three years in San Francisco, a year and a half in Paris, six months in Spain, six months in Italy, and finally a year in Istanbul. I can cook just about anything now."_

_ "Wow. I'm shocked Gibbs let his daughter travel all around the world unsupervised."_

_ "I had to beg him to let me go. What about you, Tony? How long have you been in law enforcement?"_

_ "Well after graduating from Ohio State, I joined the Peoria Police Department. Then, I joined the Philadelphia P.D., then the Baltimore P.D. I was only on each of these forces for two years. In Baltimore I met Gibbs and he offered me a spot on his team. That was about 6 years ago."_

_ "What inspired you to be a cop?"_

_ "When I was in college, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life afterwards. I had no responsibilities or cares. Then, one night I was going to this party, and I saw this house on fire. I heard this scream from inside. I ran in and saw this little boy huddled in the corner. I got him out and I realized that this is what I wanted to do."_

_ "That's amazing how you just reacted. That was very brave of you."_

_ "Yeah, but it came with a price."_

_ "And what would that be?"_

_ "That's a story for another time."_

_ "Fair enough. So, why did you only stay on each of the departments for two years before transferring?"_

_ "I needed a change in scenery." he said with a smile._

_ "C'mon, Tony, it's just me." She said with a small smile._

_ "Well, I felt that I had accomplished all that I could in those departments. I think that ultimately I wanted to find someplace that I belonged, someplace that I could do some real good."_

_ "And do you think you found that?"_

_ "Yeah, I think I might have." Tony said with a smile. "But I want to know more about you, what is Gibbs like when he is not in the office?"_

_ Lizzy laughed and said, "He's not much different but he was amazing when we were growing up. He helped us with our homework and every night he would read us a story. Even if he couldn't be there, he would record himself reading it and our mom would play it for us. He would take us to work on his boat every Sunday after brunch. Then, we would go home and cook dinner with mom and spend the rest of the night talking and watching movies. He would always ask us what would be the peak and the pit of our week. His peak every Sunday was being with us. He taught us how to fight and played basketball and baseball with us every chance he got. He never missed any activity we were involved in. He was just amazing. Our mom, she was traveling a lot but she was there whenever she could be. Every weekend she would come home to be with us. My sisters well we all have different personalities. Our dad used to joke that together we make up one person. What about your family?"_

_ "What about them?"_

_ "Well, what are they like?"_

_ "I have no siblings, my mother died when I was eight, and my father and I well we don't really get along."_

_ "I'm sorry about your mom. I shouldn't have asked."_

_ "It's o.k. You didn't know."_

_ "So, I have a question for you, is it true that you can quote just about any movie?"_

_ "Yeah, it's my secret ability."_

_ "Really?"_

_ "Yeah, wait how'd you know about that?"_

_ "I asked my dad about his team." Tony gave her a curious look. "I had to make sure you weren't a psycho." she said with a smile. "What's your favorite movie?"_

_ "Ohh, well that's tough, but if I had to pick a favorite it would probably have to be a tie between The Fugitive, The Godfather trilogy, Scarface, and Top-Gun. You?"_

_ "Well, I like all kinds but my favorite would have to be a five-way tie between The Terminal, An Affair to Remember, Some Like it Hot, the Star Wars movies, and Casino."_

_ "Casino, really? I wouldn't have pegged you as a girl that was into crime movies."_

_ "I love crime movies. It is most likely in my blood thanks to my parents."_

_ "O.k. and Star Wars?"_

_ "One, they're amazing movies and two, I'm a bit of a nerd."_

_ "I would think a lot about you, but a nerd is not one of them."_

_ "Thank you. I originally thought somethings about you but you're proving me wrong."_

_ "Like what?"_

_ "Well there have been over dozen very good looking coeds that walked by but your eyes haven't wandered once."_

_ Tony looked around, "Well clearly yours have."_

_ "Don't get any ideas. I'm not that kind of girl."_

_ "Well what kind of girl are you?"_

_ "Maybe, you'll stick around long enough to find out."_

_ "Maybe."_

_ "It's getting late. I should get home."_

_ "Yeah, I'll walk you to your car." Tony walked Lizzy to her red, 1970 Plymouth. "Nice car."_

_ "Thanks, when I turned fifteen, my dad bought this car and he asked me to fix it up with him. On my sixteenth birthday it was my gift. He does that with all of us. He feels we should all have some knowledge when it comes to cars."_

_ "Smart."_

_ "I had I good time with you, Tony."_

_ "I had a good time too. You think you'd be interested in going for some dinner one of these days?"_

_ "Sure. I'd like that." Lizzy said with a smile._

_ Tony opened the door to her car and kissed her on the cheek before saying that he'd call._

_ When Lizzy closed the door to her car, Tony pulled out his phone and quickly called Lizzy._

_ "Hello, Tony?"_

_ "Hey, Liz, listen do you want to have dinner with me on Saturday night?"_

_ "I would but I'm moving into my apartment this weekend."_

_ "What about Monday?"_

_ Not having driven away yet, Lizzy looked out the back window of her car and smiled at Tony. __"Yes." she said still looking at him._

_ "I'll pick you up."_

_ "Sounds good. Can't wait."_

_ With that Lizzy drove off._

"And here I am now, sitting on our couch talking to you."

"That sounds romantic."

"Hey, when is Jason coming back from Iraq?"

"A few weeks. I miss him so much."

"He'll be here soon. How long does he have left on his contract?"

"A year and a half. I just hope he doesn't reenlist."

"I don't think he will."

"How do you know?" Rachel asked with tears in her eyes.

"Because he loves you. Now go wash your face, we'll eat ice cream and cheesecake and veg out on the couch watching funny movies until our sides hurt." That night both sisters spent time together watching all of their favorite comedies.

The next day, it was like nothing had changed in the Gibbs household like Jethro and Jenny had originally feared would. Rachel and Lizzy came over at ten to get ready for brunch. Then they went to Gibbs' house to work on his boat and they played basketball. Around four they went back to Georgetown to have dinner and watched a movie.

"Anything new in your lives?" Jethro asked.

"You mean from yesterday? No." Rachel said.

"Lizzie, what about you?"

"Nothing much, daddy. Just a new friend." she said with a smile which didn't go unnoticed by Jenny.

Before they left, Jenny pulled Lizzy aside and said, "This new friend wouldn't happen to be a man would it?"

"How did you-"

"Lizzy, I'm your mother. I've have known you for twenty-five years. You can't keep secrets from me."

"Yes it is a man, but we only had one date. We planned our second date for Monday night."

"Just be careful and let me know when it gets serious."

"I will. I love you, mom."

"Love you too, Lizzy." Jenny said hugging her daughter.

"Lizzy, come on." Rachel yelled.

"I'm coming."

When his two oldest daughters left and his two youngest went upstairs, Jethro turned to his wife and asked, "Why did you pull Lizzy aside?"

"Just for a mother to daughter talk. Nothing to be worried about." Jenny said softly kissing her husband. Gibbs made the kiss more passionate and grabbed his wife's ass. "Jethro, we still have two teenagers in the house."

"Well then we should get out of sight then." Gibbs said taking his wife's hand and running up to their bedroom.

When they got back to their apartment, Lizzy saw text from Tony. It said, "Just wanted to say goodnight and to tell you that I can't wait for Monday. Sweet dreams, beautiful." Lizzy fell asleep with a smile on her face.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A couple of months had passed since Tony and Lizzy first started seeing each other. Due to Tony's high-stress job and Lizzy's catering company grand opening, the pair only saw each other for quick coffees and a date maybe once a week. The first time Lizzy invited Tony into the apartment, she half-expected Tony to throw her over his shoulder and take her to the bedroom, but he didn't. Instead he sat on the couch and they talked until three in the morning when Rachel came out and yelled at the to be quiet. This pattern continued for a while and Lizzy was beginning to wonder if Tony was interested in her as a woman or just as a friend.

Thanksgiving was quickly approaching and Ducky had planned for the team along with Gibbs' family to attend at his house. Despite, having been together for five months now, the two of them had not slept together and Lizzy was getting restless. She planned to confront him before they saw each other at Ducky's.

"Thank you for letting me bring him, Ducky. I can't wait for him to meet all of you. I'll see you on Thursday." Rachel hung up the phone. "Ducky is letting me bring Jason to Thanksgiving."

"Daddy's going to love that. Does he even know how serious the two of you are?"

"No, but I plan on telling him and mom about Jason and me this weekend."

"You realize dad is going to go postal. He hates it when we date."

"Yeah, especially when they are members of his team." Rachel said with a smirk.

"Rach, you're not going to say anything right?"

"No way, but I want to be there to see the fireworks when dad finds out."

"Deal. Hey, I have a question, when did you and Jason first start sleeping together?"

"The first time we dated, I slept with him on the fifth date. The second time we dated, we slept together on the seventh date, that was to punish him for cheating on me. The third time, I slept with him when I saw him at that Halloween party and we've been together ever since. Why do you ask?"

"It's just that Tony and I have been dating for a few months now, and I get we only have one real date a week but we still haven't slept together and I'm wondering is it me-"

"O.k. don't even finish that sentence. When we were in high school you were the girl that all of the guys wanted to be with. Every time you walk down the street, guys and girls gawk at you. I think Tony just wants to go slow cause he doesn't want to mess up with you."

"You really think that's all it is?"

"Yeah. O.k. I'm going to pick up Jason from the airport. You going to be alright here?"

"Yes, mom. Tony is coming over and we're going to watch a movie."

"Good, you can ask him about what you asked me when he comes over." Rachel said putting her coat on.

"Tell Jason I say hi."

"Will do and tell Tony that he should make a move before you go stir-crazy."

With that Rachel left and Lizzy sighed. She pulled out some pictures from her three years abroad and started making a photo album. With a glass of wine, she began to reminisce. Lizzy didn't know how much time had passed before she heard a knock at the door. She looked at her phone and saw that it was 7:30. Lizzy got up and opened the door to see Tony standing there with a box of pizza. "Bonjuoro, signora bella I have brought a magnifico pizza for the two of us along with the best of mafioso movies." Tony said holding the Godfather trilogy box.

"Hey, come in." she said kissing him sweetly on the lips and letting him in."

"Where's Rachel?"

"She went to pick-up her boyfriend from the airport. He's coming to Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow."

"Oh, so I'll meet him at Ducky's."

"Well if you stick around tonight, you may see him before that. I just want to see what my dad's reaction is going to be."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well my dad doesn't really like his girls dating and Jason did cheat on Rachel once."

"So you think you're dad will be beyond pissed when he finds out that you and I are dating?"

"Tony, I won't let my dad hurt you and neither will my mom."

"I just don't want him to change his opinion of me when he finds out."

"He won't. Is that why you haven't tried anything with me?"

"What?"

"Tony, come on, you and I have been dating for five months now and you haven't tried one move to get me into bed."

"Fear of castration from your father is only a small part of it but I used to always jump into bed with a woman and I always got instant gratification from it. This time around, I want something more long lasting, something more permanent."

"O.k. Tony, I get it. But just so you know that when you're ready, I'll be waiting." She said kissing him. "Just don't take too long."

Tony laughed and looked down at the coffee table and said, "What is all of this, Liz?"

"Oh, these are pictures from the time I spent in Europe."

"Is that Ziva?"

"Yeah, I've known Ziva through my mom and I ran into her in Italy." Tony looked at the next picture and froze. "Oh, and that's Ziva's brother, Ari."

"How, well did you know her brother?"

"We dated for a few months."

"How long is a few months?"

"Like five or six. Towards the end, Ari started acting very strange and he became somewhat possessive and very secretive. I got that being in Mossad he needed to keep secrets but these agents were not different. I just couldn't take it anymore. I have a problem with dating the wrong guy."

"Yeah." Tony said cautiously.

"You o.k.?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Just didn't know that you went for pretty boys?" Tony said with a smile.

"I went for you didn't I? I generally go for the bad boy types." She whispered seductively in his ear.

"Hey, I am not the nicest guy in the world." Tony said with a pout.

"Oh, I know." She said and continued kissing him.

"Oh, hell." Tony said and wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up off the couch. He walked into Lizzy's bedroom still kissing her and with her legs wrapped around his waist. They fell on the bed and spent the rest of the night wrapped in each other's arms.

Around seven, Tony woke up to Lizzy lying naked on his chest and couldn't help the smile that spread on his face. Needing a drink, Tony got up and went to the kitchen after putting on his boxers. He took a swig of orange juice and was going to make his way back to Liz's bedroom when the bathroom door opened and a man in his thirties walked out. "You must be Tony, I'm Jason, Rachel's boyfriend."

"Hi. How was your flight?"

"It was pleasant. Just wanted to see my girl."

"Yeah, I know how that goes. I'll see you later." Tony walked back into Liz's bedroom and cuddled with her.

Liz started waking up and looked up at Tony, "Good morning."

"Morning, beautiful." He said kissing her lightly.

They continued kissing for a while before Tony said, "Wanna get a shower?" Lizzy nodded and they got up and went to the bathroom.

A few hours later, Lizzy was at Ducky's house cooking pies and waiting for everyone to show up. Around five, the table was set and everyone was accounted for except for Rachel and Jason. Jason and Rachel came in about five minutes later and Gibbs didn't look happy about it. Gibbs kept glaring, snarling, and threatening Jason all through the night. He imagined if Jenny and Ducky weren't there to restrain him, Gibbs would have attacked the marine. Later that night, lying in bed, Tony couldn't help but wonder what Gibbs was going to do to him when he found out he was dating Gibbs' oldest daughter.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A few days after Thanksgiving, Lizzy was coming to NCIS to pick-up her father for a late lunch.

"Hey, daddy." Lizzy said to her father when walking into the bullpen.

"Hey, just give me one second and we'll go to lunch."

"Sounds good." The two left for lunch and Gibbs looked at his daughter intently. "What?" She asked curiously.

"Nothing. You just, you just grew up so fast. I remember a time when you used to run to the door and I would pick you up and swing you in my arms. You used to always laugh when I did that. You really have grown haven't you?"

"Dad, I can't believe you of all people are getting sentimental. It's refreshing though. And I do miss you picking me up and swinging me around like you did."

"I could give it a try." Gibbs said with a chuckle.

"You'd probably damage that knee of yours even more then it already is."

"Probably. So, you and I have not had much of a chance to talk since you got back from Istanbul. So, what was it like there?"

"Beautiful. All the places I saw and the things that I experienced, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Thank you so much for letting me go."

"I knew how much you wanted to go and you were an adult and I trusted that your mother taught you how to castrate anyone that tried anything with you." Gibbs smiled upon hearing his daughter laugh.

"Yeah she did. But what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Why didn't you tell me that Agent Todd had been killed. Mom told me."

"At the time I was blaming myself for not being able to protect her."

"And now?"

"Now, I still think of her but it doesn't hurt as much." Gibbs lied.

"What happened to her?"

"She was murdered by a terrorist, Ari Haswari."

"Ari? Ziva's brother?"

"You knew him?"

"Yeah, but I obviously didn't know him as well as I should have. What did you do to him?"

"I shot him." Gibbs said simply.

"Daddy, I'm sorry that happened to you."

"Don't be sorry for me."

"O.k. different subject. How are things going with Ziva?"

"It took a while but she's growing on me. What about you? Anyone that I need to hunt down?"

"There are no boys that need to incur the wrath of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. If there were any you would be the first to know."

"Good to know. What about Rachel and that guy?"

"You mean Jason?"

"Yeah him."

"What about them?"

"Well are they serious?"

"Dad, I think this is a conversation you should be having with Rachel. But I can tell you this much, they really do love each other."

"Is he living with you guys?"

"No. Why would you ask that?"

"It's the twenty-first century, I'm not naïve enough to believe that those types of things do not happen."

"What about Chloe and Annie, how are things with them?"

"They're good but they're teenagers. Everything I say is wrong."

"Daddy, they're just growing up and becoming more independent like you taught us to be. You should be proud that we are so comfortable around you that we can say and talk about anything to you."

"You really think so?"

"I know so. You and mom did a good job raising us. Don't doubt yourself."

"Now how did you get so smart?" Gibbs said with a smile.

"From grandma." she said with a slight smirk.

"Don't even joke about that." It was no secret that Jethro and his mother-in-law didn't get along. In fact contempt may not be a strong enough word to describe what they feel towards one another. "Come on I have to get back."

Lizzy drove her father back to NCIS and went up to visit her mother while the MCRT went to a carnival to answer a distress response made by a six year old boy named Zach. After talking to her mother for a few minutes before their conversation was cut short by SecNav. Lizzy left her mother's office and entered the elevator. On her way down, a man entered the elevator and smiled at her and she smiled back. Just then, the elevator jerked and stopped. The emergency lights turned on and the two looked at each other. Lizzy tried the buttons but it didn't work. "Great. I'm going to be late."

"Well, looks like we're stuck in here for a while. I'm Charles."

"I'm Lizzy. Which department are you in?"

"Forensics. I'm Abby Scuito's newest assistant."

"Oh. You're Chip. Abby's great, you're going to learn a lot from her."

"Yeah, but is she always so-"

"Eccentric. Yes, but its part of her creative process. It's Abby's unconventionality that makes her such a success as a forensic scientist."

"So, Lizzy, what department are you in?"

"None."

"Then, no offense, but why are you here?"

"No offense taken. My parents work here. My father is Special Agent Gibbs and my mother is Director Shepard."

"Your parents are-"

"Yeah, that is generally everyone's reaction." She said with a laugh.

The two talked for a bit more before the elevator jerked to life once again. "I really enjoyed talking to you, Lizzy. Would you be interested in getting some coffee with me sometime?"

"Oh. Charles, I would but the thing is I'm already seeing someone."

"Oh. It's alright."

When Lizzy got off the elevator, she was enveloped in a hug by her father. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm o.k. Dad, get back to work I'm o.k."

"Alright, I'll see you later."

Chuck began walking to forensics when he noticed DiNozzo walking into the area and he pulled Lizzy into a hug before kissing her. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, go back to work. I'll see you later tonight."

Chuck, pissed walked into the forensics lab.

Gibbs took Zach back to his house for protection and had him help with the boat. "Gibbs?"

"Yeah, bud."

"Do you have any kids?"

"Yeah, four girls and a wife."

"Is your wife that lady with the red hair?"

"Yup."

"How come you live here and she doesn't?"

"We do live together, just not here."

"How old are your daughters?"

"Lizzy is 25, Rachel is 24, Chloe is 16, and Annie is 14."

"Wow."

"Yup."

Two days later the case was wrapped up and Tony came over to Lizzy's apartment. "Hey, come in." Lizzy said.

They sat on the couch and Tony seemed really deep in thought. "You o.k.?"

"Hum, oh yeah. Question, is there a reason your father was so sympathetic to this case?"

"You mean the lost little boy? Yeah there was a reason." She got tears in her eyes and looked away from him.

"Hey, you o.k.?"

"Yeah, there was. There wasn't just four of us. There was originally five of us."

"There were five Gibblets?"

"Gibblets?"

"Abby's idea but continue."

"After Rachel was born, my mother had trouble conceiving. Hence the big age gap between Rachel and Chloe. Four years after Rachel was born, my mom gave birth to a baby boy. His name was Sammy. When he was ten, Sammy was kidnapped when he was riding his bike around the block with Chloe. It tore my parents apart and Chloe always blamed herself and wondered why she wasn't taken. My parents, they divorced after Sammy's body was discovered a year later. They blamed each other and hardly spoke. Dad wasn't even allowed into the house after the divorce. My dad met up with an old flame. After four months of dating, my dad married ex-wife number four. After 14 months they filed for divorce. Once the divorce was finalized I guess my parents found solace with one another. They remarried. And here we are now."

"Wow, that's messed up."

"Yeah."

"Did they ever find the man who did this."

"Yeah, some perv that was into little boys."

"I'm sorry, Lizzy."

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault. Can you just hold me?"

"Come here." Tony opened up his arms and she snuggled up in them. Tony kissed the top of Lizzy's head and let her cry into his chest. "It's o.k." After thirty minutes, Lizzy's breathing had evened out and Tony picked her up and took her to the bedroom. He lied down next to her and vowed that he would always protect her. Tony didn't realize that pretty soon he was going to need someone to protect him.

It was a few weeks later when Tony was framed for murder. It took her a while to find out what happened but she eventually found out where Tony was being held. "I'm here to see Anthony DiNozzo."

"He's a sick man little lady, are you sure you want to see him?"

"Yes, I'm sure I want to see him and don't ever talk about him like that ever again."

"Hey, DiNozzo, there's a girl here to see you. Feisty little thing."

"Hey, Liz."

"Are you o.k.?"

"I'm great you know, had time to reflect on things."

"Tony."

"The truth, I'm scared."

"Don't worry, dad is going to get you out of this."

"I know he will."

"I can't stay for very long just know that I... you know what, I'll tell you when I see you out from behind these bars."

Gibbs worked around the clock to save his Senior Field Agent and in the end it paid off. Tony was a free man and Abby's assistant was arrested.

Lizzy drove to Tony's and launched herself at him the second she saw him. That night, after making love, Tony was asleep and Lizzy was lying on his chest. "I love you, Tony." she whispered and fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Do not own NCIS. Just the Ocs.

Chapter 6

A couple of weeks later, a naval officer was kidnapped. Upon discovering that the officer captured pedophiles, Tony paid close to Gibbs' reaction. He knew what this meant to Gibbs. He made a mental note to call Lizzy and let her know what was going on. Tony always noticed that child cases affected Gibbs differently and he understood why now. Even though Tony had never lost a child, he could only imagine what it would be like for Gibbs and then having to worry that something terrible would happen to your remaining children on top of that. Tony finally started to get insight into the world of Gibbs.

When finding the naval officer, Tony was relieved cause he saw Gibbs visibly relax a bit. As the months wore on, it had officially been a year since Kate had died. He and Lizzy had also managed to keep their relationship a secret for quite a while before Jimmy Palmer walked in on them when they were in the NCIS gym.

Flashback

_Tony walked into the gym and saw a slender pair of legs that he would recognize anywhere on the eliptical machine. Lizzy was wearing black booty shorts, sneakers, a light blue sports bra, and her hair was tied back in a messy bun but there were strands falling out of the bun. Tony came up behind her as quietly as he could and kissed her sweaty shoulder. Lizzy jumped and turned to see Tony standing there with a smirk on his face. "Tony, you scared me."_

_ "Sorry, babe. You look so sexy right now."_

_ "I'm sweating like a pig."_

_ "Still sexy to me and I didn't do anything to get you all sweaty."_

_ "You're such a perv." Lizzy said kissing him lightly. Tony grabbed her and kissed her more passionately. _

_ She got off the eliptical machine and continued kissing him. Tony started lying her down on the floor of the gym. They knew that someone could walk in at any moment, but they were lost in their own world._

_ Suddenly they heard a bunch of dumbbells fall to the floor breaking the lovers apart. "Oh, sorry I didn't mean to interrupt. Carry on with what you two are doing." Jimmy said apologetically._

_ "Jimmy, it's o.k. But can we just keep this between us?" Lizzy asked._

_ "No problem I won't tell Agent Gibbs. But he does have way of finding these things out on his own."_

_ "Don't worry about my dad, Jimmy. We are just not ready to tell anyone yet."_

_ "Does anyone know about the two of you?"_

_ "My sister and her boyfriend."_

_ "We'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone, Palmer, before we do." Tony said._

_ "My lips are sealed just please tell people soon."_

_ "We'll take that into consideration." _

End Flashback

Tony chuckled thinking about how Jimmy was struggling to keep this all a secret. "Go home all of you." the Director said.

"Where's Gibbs?" McGee asked.

"He went home."

"Wait there is a child molester on the loose and Gibbs went home?" Abby asked. The Director shrugged.

"Is Gibbs alright?" Tony asked.

"He's fine, Tony. All of you get some sleep. I'll see all of you tomorrow. Go home all of you." the Director said firmly.

Jenny went upstairs to her office to finish some paperwork while she waited for her husband to come out of MTAC. After two hours, Gibbs was still there and Jenny was finished with her paperwork for the night. She decided to wait for him and Gibbs drive home. Jenny waited in front of MTAC for another twenty minutes before the door finally opened and Gibbs walked out. Jenny saw the look in his eyes and could tell that he was trying to hide his tears. They have not spoken about Sammy since the funeral. It was just easier that way, but this case reminded the two of them of what they had lost. Gibbs looked at her and engulfed her in a hug. "Jethro are you-" Gibbs silenced her with a passionate kiss. He continued to kiss her and picked her up. He walked into her office and laid her down on the couch. Hours later both of them were lying on the floor of her office after making love for the fourth time, Jenny fell asleep. Gibbs brushed a stray curl away from her face and kissed her cheek softly. He got up from the floor and went into the bathroom in Jenny's office. He splashed some water on his face and couldn't help but feel old when looking in the mirror. His past affecting him and making him feel older than he actually was. He sighed and went back into the office and joined his wife on the floor.

In May, Gibbs chased an NCIS agent through the cargo hold of a ship. Talking to the agent, suddenly, a bomb exploded and Gibbs crashed into a wall rendering him unconscious. Jenny was the first one at Bethesda. She had a function to attend but her husband could not join her since he was working a case. As agents their lives were always on the line, but she never imagined that all of the agents that could be hurt or killed in action she never thought one of them could be Jethro, until now. "I'm looking for Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I'm Jenny Shepard, his wife."

"Ma'am, I'm going to need you to sit over there." A nurse said not even looking up at her.

"Excuse me? Do you know who I am? I'm the Director of NCIS and the wife of a hurt federal agent, tell me what is going on with my husband."

The nurse reluctantly let Jenny into ICU to see her husband. She had never seen Jethro look so broken, not since... Jenny shook her head of the thoughts of her lost son. "Are you his wife?" Jenny turned to see the doctor there. She nodded simply to numb to speak. "I'm sorry about all of this Mrs. Gibbs but it doesn't look good right now. The trauma has really affected your husband, I don't know if he'll be the man that you remember."

"What about the coma?" Jenny whispered.

"He'll awaken when he is ready but there is something very odd about your husband's coma."

"Odd?"

"Yes. He appears to have an abnormally high amount of brain activity going on, yet he is in a coma. It is baffling me which is why I contacted his neurologist from the Marine Corps. He appears to be repeating that trauma from the Middle East. Did you know that he was in a coma for nineteen days in Fallujah?"

"No." Jenny said shaking her head. "What can I do to help him through this?"

"My most successful patients are the ones that had family and friends come and talk to them. So if you and Agent Gibbs have any children or close friends, I suggest you get in touch with them."

Jenny nodded and called her daughters. About fifteen minutes later, Rachel screeched into a parking space and her and her sisters ran out of the car and into the hospital.

"Mom, is daddy o.k?" Chloe asked seeing their mother in the hallway.

"He's in a coma. The doctor believes it will be beneficial if family talks to him. I've already talked to him and now I want each of you to."

"Can we do this in private?" Annie asked.

"Yeah. You go first." Jenny said to Annie.

Lizzy sat next to her mother and couldn't believe that this was happening to her family. She always believed that her father was a real-life superman and that nothing in this world could hurt him. All she wanted to do was crawl into a corner, but she knew that she needed to stay strong for her mother and sisters. They needed her. When it was her turn, Lizzy walked into her father's hospital room and let out an involuntary gasp. She had never seen him like this. It took her a second to realize what she was in the room for. "Hi, daddy. Do you remember when I was five and I wanted to make you breakfast for father's day and I ended up setting the kitchen on fire. You ran in with the fire extinguisher and sprayed the entire kitchen with the foam and it covered all of the countertops and us as well. Then you sent me to go take a shower and I wanted a bubble bath and a put so much bubble bath soap in the tub that the bubbles started coming out of the bathroom and you ran in and started swimming through the bubbles to try to find me. When you did, you looked so mad but I just couldn't help but laugh seeing you covered in bubbles. Then, you started laughing and we couldn't stop for hours. I miss those times, daddy. I need you to get better. I met a wonderful man who I think is the one. I want you there for it all. Just please wake up soon. I love you, daddy." She kissed him on the cheek and walked out of the room with tears streaming down her cheeks. Staying strong was shot to hell.

Two days later, the four Gibbs girls got the call that her father was awake. Their mother also told them that he was having a tough time remembering who everyone was. Obviously their mother was trying to spare their feelings because when Chloe and Lizzy walked into their father's hospital room he couldn't recognize them. When Rachel and Annie walked in, he thought Annie was Kelly. "Kelly, baby, when did you get so big?"

"Daddy, I'm Annie, Kelly is my middle name. Don't you remember?"

"Annie? That's right you can't be Kelly, she's dead. I don't know you? Any of you? Who are you four?"

"Daddy, I'm Annie, that's Chloe, Rachel, and Lizzy. We're your daughters. Why don't you remember?" Annie asked with tears in her eyes before running out of the room. Chloe and Rachel ran after her leaving Lizzy in the room.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Well now I remember my wife, Shannon, and our daughter, Kelly, were murdered while I was unconscious in the desert. They were dying while I was lying around on my back. I couldn't protect them."

"I'm so sorry. Why didn't you ever tell us about them?"

"I can't remember."

Not being able to stay in that room any longer, Lizzy walked out of the room and cried. Tony saw his girlfriend crying in the hallway and walked up to her. He silently took her in his arms and let her cry in his arms. "He doesn't remember me, Tony. He doesn't remember our past. He keeps muttering about Shannon and Kelly and how he couldn't protect them. It's like he's a completely different person. I don't know what to do."

"You don't have to do anything. He'll remember. Gibbs is the strongest person I know.' He said kissing her on top of the head. "I just came to see how he is then I have to get back. Are you staying her tonight?"

"I don't know if I can."

"Go stay at my place tonight. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"O.k."

Tony left the hospital and a while later Mike Franks walked in and spotted his goddaughter staring at the floor. "Hey, beautiful girl, how you doing?" Mike said sitting next to her.

"Uncle Mike." She hugged him tightly. "Mom called you didn't she?"

"Yeah, Red, called me and demanded that I fly my ass out here as soon as possible." Lizzy laughed but immediately shut her mouth. "Lizzy, you know it is alright to laugh, right?"

"No, I can't laugh until I know he is o.k."

"He will be. I'm gonna fix that noggin of his."

"I know you will, Uncle Mike." She hugged him and left to go to Tony's apartment.

A few hours later, Lizzy received a text from her sister Chloe telling her that their father had a wife and daughter that were murdered by a mexican drug lord. Lizzy finally realized what her father was talking about in the hospital. She fell asleep in Tony's bed in a very fitful sleep. Around five, Lizzy woke up and saw a text from Annie saying their father never came home last night. Lizzy didn't think much of it, except when she went to his house across town, he wasn't there either and his service bag was missing. After not hearing from him for two days, Mike called them from the Cantina to tell them that Gibbs was with him in Mexico. Less then a week later, their mother didn't come into work. Lizzy walked into her childhood home and started searching for her mother. "Mom? Mom, you here?" Lizzy walked up into the bedroom and found her mother lying on her bed surrounded by pictures and empty bottles of bourbon and a homemade movie playing on the T.V. She could see that her mom had been crying. "Mom, what's wrong."

Jenny threw something on the ground and Lizzy looked at it curiously before picking it up. Lizzy looked at the paper before her eyes widened. "Daddy, wants a divorce?"


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey, guys first author's note. I know that the last chapter kinda throws you for a loop but there is a reason for it. It is going to be explained in the chapters to come. Thank you so much for the people who have reviewed and/or read my story so far. And for Supernatural fans check out my other story which is a Dean/Oc story called Accursed Witch.

Disclaimer: Do not own NCIS.

Chapter 7

It had been a month since Gibbs had left NCIS and walked out of their lives. No one had heard from him in all of that time. Rachel and Chloe believed that he would come back and all would be normal. They were more understanding than Lizzy and Annie were being. They refused to even hear their father's name in civilized conversation. Tony tried to talk to Lizzy about it but she refused and would become agitated if he continued to talk about it. Tony knew that Lizzy wanted to speak to someone about it but she was just as stubborn as her father. The one good thing about Gibbs being gone was that he and Lizzy didn't have to hide their relationship like they did when Gibbs was around. Having said that they still weren't ready for people to discover their secret just yet.

Since Gibbs left, instead of only spending a night a week with Lizzy, Tony was over her place half the week and Lizzy was at his house at the other half. The relationship was in a comfortable pace now. Every night they would tell each other about their days while eating dinner. Afterwards they would snuggle up on the couch watching T.V. or a movie. Tony would quote what they were watching and sometimes Lizzy would quote the movie shocking Tony. He would then smile and hug her tightly. They still had not said I love you to each other, but it didn't need to be said, they could feel it.

On July 30th, the couple had been dating or a year. Tony woke up and saw Lizzy lying on his chest and he smiled. She looked so peaceful when she slept. Tony kissed her softly on the forehead before gently getting out from under her and went to go take a shower. Not even five minutes later, Lizzy woke up and took in her surroundings. They spent the night at Tony's last night Lizzy couldn't help the contended sigh that escaped her lips. She could hear the shower running and knew that Tony was there. She got up, not bothering to cover herself and went to the bathroom. She pulled the shower curtain aside and Tony turned to look at her. He gave her a sexy smirk and said, "Hey, beautiful."

"Can I join you?" Lizzy said.

"Well it's a but cramped in here, but I think we can squeeze you in." Tony picked her up and they made love in the shower.

"Do you have to go?" Lizzy asked Tony as he got dressed while she lied on the bed.

"You know I would much rather stay here with you but I have a team to run. But hey it has been a year since you and I first started dating and nothing is going to stop me from taking you out on the town tonight."

"What if you catch a case?"

"Hey, don't worry about that. We're going out tonight. I called Rachel and I know things have been tense between the two of you but I want you to go out with her today make yourself look even more beautiful for tonight."

"You called Rachel?"

"Yup, she is meeting you at the Goddess spa for a day of pampering on me."

"Tony, you didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to. So get dressed cause you have a massage at nine."

"I'll see you tonight."

"Tonight. Be ready by six thirty. I'll see you then." Tony kissed her goodbye and left for the office.

Lizzy got dressed and met her sister the spa. The two had been constantly fighting about their father. Lizzy thought he was being selfish while Rachel thought he needed space. "Hey, Rach. What's going on."

"Nothing much. So why is Tony doing all of this?" Rachel asked putting on her robe.

"We've been dating for a year."

"A year? Do you think that he is going to propose?"

"I don't think so."

"Why not? I mean why go through all this trouble if he's not going to?"

"Rachel, we haven't even said I love you yet. I seriously doubt Tony is going to ask me to marry him without saying that. And if he did, I wouldn't say yes until he did."

"Well maybe that's why you two are going out tonight. So he can say it."

"Maybe."

After the spa, Lizzy and Rachel went to the mall and Lizzy went into Cache to buy a new dress and into Victoria's Secret to buy Tony a little something special. Tony liked black and lacy.

She got dressed and let her hair come down in curls the way Tony liked it and put on some Coco Channel Mademoiselle. She was wearing that when she first met Tony.

Tony opened the door already dressed in a pair of black slacks and a dark blue dress shirt with a black jacket over it. "Babe, you ready?"

"Yeah, just give me one second to put on my shoes." Lizzy said from the bedroom.

She walked out and Tony was in awe. "You look great." He said smiling and kissing her softly.

"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself." Tony led her to the car and he opened the door for her. "So where are we going?"

"Can't tell you that."

Lizzy pouted playfully ans said, "You're no fun."

"Really, cause I seem to remember you having a bunch of fun this morning in the shower with me."

"Jerk." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. They pulled up in front of Valentino's and Lizzy was in shock. "Tony, how did you get reservations to this place?"

"I know the owner. Come on."

Throughout dinner they talked about their days and told each other things that they had lived through. "Tony, I've been meaning to ask you. What are your parents like?"

"Liz, we've been over this."

"Come on, Tony. It can't be that bad. Please."

"O.k. My mom was named Monica. She was beautiful. She would always take me to the park everyday after school. She got really sick when I was six. For the next two years, I spent everyday after school at the hospital. She would take me to the movies every weekend. They were her escape as well as mine."

"Ah so your mother is the reason you are such a movie buff."

"Yeah. The last movie she took me to was "The Little Prince." My father, well he is a real bastard. We don't talk much anymore. He doesn't approve of my life choices."

"I'm sorry, Tony. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, I've wanted to tell you all of this for so long but I didn't know how."

"I'm glad you did. It brings us even closer."

"Yeah, I guess it does." Tony looked at the dance floor and saw couples dancing. "You want to dance?"

"Tony, you don't dance."

"Who says I don't. I will have you know that I'm a dancing fool."

Lizzy giggled and said, "O.k. show me what you got."

The two danced for a while before Lizzy started whispering in Tony's ear about how sexy he looked and how much she wanted him. Not being able to take it anymore, Tony asked for the check and took Lizzy back to his place. The second the door shut behind them, Tony grabbed Lizzy and pushed her roughly against the wall. Tony took her dress off and couldn't help but drool. "Like what you see, Tony."

"Oh yeah."

"Maybe you should do something about it." Lizzy grabbed Tony's hand and they entered the bedroom.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Do not own NCIS

Chapter 8

The next morning, Lizzy woke up and wiped the sleep from her eyes and saw Tony doing the same. "Good morning." she whispered.

"Morning." Tony kissed her and rolled on top of her and let's just say a good morning turned into an excellent morning.

A while later, they got up and got dressed when Lizzy offered to make breakfast for the two of them. "Umm, Tony?"

"Yeah, babe." He called from the bathroom really into his crossword puzzle.

"Did you know that you have no food in your apartment?"

"What? Oh I guess I forgot to go shopping recently." Tony said coming into the kitchen.

"Well you have been busy." She shot him a sexy smirk and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Yeah." Tony kissed and lifted her up onto the countertop.

In between kisses, Lizzy tried to get Tony's attention. "Tony, as much as I want to, you've worn me out between last night and this morning and I need to refuel." Tony pouted and Liz chuckled, "Come on, Magnum, let's get some food. And think if I eat, I'll have more energy tonight."

"Alright, but tonight-"

"You will have your wicked way with me." She hopped off the counter and put on her flip flops while Tony put on his sneakers.

They walked outside to Tony's car and Tony opened her door for her. Before she could sit down, Tony kissed her lightly. They drove to a coffee shop and sat down with muffins and cappuccinos. "So what have you got going on this week?" Tony asked.

"I'm catering a christening on Sunday and birthdays on Wednesday and Friday."

"Busy week."

"Yeah. So I won't be able to see you much."

"Hey, I get it. Don't worry, just bring some leftovers home."

"You know what I love about you?"

"My charm, charisma, or my devilishly good looks?" Tony said with a smirk.

"Yes, all of those but what I was going to say is how understanding you always are." She leaned over the table and kissed him lightly on the mouth.

Tony kissed her back. He then took her hand in his and brought it up to his mouth to kiss it as well. They smiled at each other and were lost in their own little world.

Meanwhile

Annie woke up on the floor of McGee's apartment surrounded by red bulls and her computer. McGee was in the same shape as her. She threw an empty can at him and said, "Timmy, wake up."

Annie and Timmy discovered about five months ago that they both played World of Warcraft and had even quested together on occasion. Now, once a month, the two would get together and play until the early morning.

"I'm up." Tim said with a groan.

"Hey, Timmy?"

"Yeah?" He asked from the bathroom.

"Why do you have this manuscript of Deep Six?"

"Oh, well, can you keep a secret?"

"Yeah." Annie said with peaking interest.

"I'm sorta writing a book about my time at NCIS."

"Like a biography?"

"No, it's fiction. The main character is L.J. Tibbs."

"That's awesome, Timmy. But why make the main character about him?"

"Cause he's a natural leader."

"Yeah, I guess you have a point. I will keep your secret but on one condition."

"What's that?"

"Well two actually. I want to read the manuscript and I want the first autographed copy."

"You got it."

"Hey, McGee, whey you become rich and famous are we still going to play Warcraft together?"

"Nothing is going to change, Annie."

"Everything is changing."

"Have you spoken to him?"

"Not since the hospital."

"Come on, let's get some food." McGee drove them to a coffee shop for some food.

"I think I'm going to change my name."

"To what?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'll be like Madonna and have only one name." McGee laughed and she continued, "You know if you rearrange the letters in your name, you can spell Gemcity."

"That's it. I've been trying to come up with a pen name and you just helped me get one. You are looking at Thom E. Gemcity."

"Very cool, McGee. Hey, look it's Lizzy and Tony."

"Here together?" McGee asked turning around. "Yeah. Wait, Oh my God. They're kissing. What the hell?"

"Come on let's go talk to them." Annie said.

"You sure?" McGee said.

"Yeah." Annie and McGee joined the couple by saying, "Hey, guys. What's going on?"

"Nothing." the couple said.

"Really cause me and Timmy saw the two of you exchanging saliva just a moment ago."

"Annie, you're not going to tell anyone, right?" Lizzy asked.

"No but how long has this been going on?"

"A year."

"A whole year? And you didn't tell me?"

"Annie, we weren't ready for people to know. Plus your mom is my boss and at one point so was your dad. We just didn't want a fuss." Tony said.

"Tony, if you hurt her, I will kick your ass into your throat."

"I'll keep that in mind. McGee, can you keep this quiet."

"No problem. So, who else knows?"

"Rachel, her boyfriend, Jason, and Jimmy." Lizzy said.

"How did Palmer find out?" McGee asked.

"He walked in on us in a compromising situation."

"You couldn't save it for the bedroom?" Annie asked in disgust.

"We weren't naked. We were just kissing." Tony defended.

"How long are you going to keep this a secret?" McGee asked.

"You already cracking under the pressure, McGoo?"

"No, Tony, just wondering."

"We want to tell mom but we don't know how." Lizzy explained.

"Well you better tell her and Chloe soon or they'll be pissed."

"Yeah I know. We're gonna go. We'll see you later." Lizzy said getting up with Tony. In the car Lizzy looked at Tony and said, "I think we should tell everyone that we're together. The longer we wait the more hurt people are going to be."

"Yeah I know. We'll tell them soon." What they didn't know was how soon people were going to discover their secret.


	9. Chapter 9

A/n: O.k so this chapter is inspired by my favorite episode of friends. So some of the ideas are from there.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 9

Two weeks had gone by since Annie and McGee found out about their relationship. Ziva, Jenny, Chloe, and Abby were still oblivious but they were aware that something was going on with Tony and Lizzy. They just didn't know what.

Ziva and Chloe went for a run early Saturday morning and then went back to Ziva's to change. Ziva's apartment building was going to be destroyed so she was looking for a new place. Ziva and Chloe met Abby at the new building. "It's not that far from work, Ziva." Abby said.

"That's a good thing. Let's take a look." They went upstairs and saw the apartment. "It's very cozy. I think I'll take it."

"Hey, you can see Tony's apartment from here." Abby said looking out the window.

Chloe and Ziva walked over to the window and saw Tony come into the apartment with Lizzy. "Hey, look Lizzy's there." Tony and Lizzy started talking and then started passionately kissing. The oblivious couple continued kissing and undressing each other. Tony grabbed Liz's ass and picked her up and pushed her against the wall.

"What are they doing?" Chloe asked in shock. She, then saw something she shouldn't have and started screaming, "My eyes! My eyes!" she looked away from the window and ran to the bathroom.

Abby and Ziva ran after her to see if she was o.k. They opened the bathroom door to see her scrubbing her face with water. "Don't be so dramatic." Ziva said.

"Ziva, I just saw my sister having sex. I think being dramatic is warranted. My virgin eyes did not need to see a free porno."

"Hello let's focus on the bigger picture, shall we. How long do you thinkwaht we just saw has been going on?" Abby said choosing her words carefully.

"Who knows." Ziva answered.

"We should ask McGee and Palmer if they noticed anything."

"Good idea, Abby, and I'll ask Annie. I wonder why Rachel hasn't said anything yet?"

"You think Rachel knows?" Ziva asked.

"Well she and Lizzy do live together. She had to have seen something."

"Don't ask your sisters just yet. Let's talk to the boys and see if they know anything." Abby suggested.

"O.k. Text me to let me know what's going on."

"No problem."

On monday morning, Ziva and Abby called McGee and Palmer into Abby's lab. When the boys entered, Ziva shut the door and Abby locked it.

"Timmy, Jimmy, do you know why you're here?" Abby asked.

"Uh, no?" McGee said.

"So you know nothing about Tony and Lizzy sleeping together?" Ziva asked.

"Ziva, I wanted to interrogate them some more. But yeah, what she said."

"How did you find out?" Jimmy stuttered.

"Wait, you two knew?" Abby asked.

"Why interrogate us if you weren't sure we knew anything?" McGee asked.

"It was a guess. How long have you two known?" Abby asked.

"A couple of weeks."

"A couple of months."

"How did you two find out?" McGee questioned.

"It doesn't matter. What matters now is confronting them." Ziva said.

"Wait, Ziva, they don't know that we know. So let's act like we don't know and have a little fun." Abby said.

"No, enough of us know now. I'm sick of keeping this secret." Jimmy said.

"Jimmy, it's only for a little while more. Ziva are you a good actress?"

"Fairly good. Why?"

"Cause you're going to hit on Tony in front of Lizzy."

"How are you going to get Lizzy here?" Tim asked.

"She has lunch with Director Shepard every monday then she comes here and we talk for a while." Abby said.

"O.k. if you'll think it'll work." Jimmy asked.

"It will if you two stay quiet." Abby said with a pointed look.

"What if I told Tony that you two knew?" Jimmy said.

"I'll sick Ziva on you." Abby said.

"Carry on." Jimmy said.

A bit later, Lizzy walked out of her mother's office and saw Ziva touching Tony and it looked like they were about to kiss. She quickly walked down the stairs and approached the pair. "Hey, Tony, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure."

She pulled Tony down the hall and started fuming. Tony just looked at her and couldn't help but smirk and think how sexy she looked.

"Why are you all hot and bothered? Oh, your jealous."

Lizzy snorted and said, "Jealousy is such a petty emotion."

"But you are."

"Yeah I guess I am. But how would you feel if McGee was acting like that with me."

"I'd kill him."

"Now who's jealous?" Lizzy laughed and then entered into a deep thought. "Wait a minute."

"What?"

"Do you think Ziva knows?"

"No, how can she?"

"Well it does make sense plus Abby keeps probing and asking me about my personal life and I mean more than usual. And Ziva has been overly friendly."

"So you think they know?"

"Only one way to find out. Ask McGee and Palmer."

The two confronted the pair and what they thought was confirmed. "Well I guess the cat is out of the bag." Tony said.

"What I don't understand why didn't they confront us?"

"Abby had this idea to have Ziva hit on Tony and see what your reactions would be."

"What?" Tony said.

"Wait, Tony, they don't know that we know that they know."

"So?"

"So, you are going to invite Ziva over to your place tonight and get her to back down by hitting on her."

"I thought you two wanted people to know?" McGee said.

"We do but this is payback." Lizzy said.

Tony invited Ziva over that night who then rushed off to tell Abby what happened. "I can't believe Tony would cheat on Lizzy." Abby said.

"I'm really regretting this now."

"I know what you m... wait a second." Abby called McGee and had him meet in her lab. "McGee do they know that we know?" she confronted him.

"They know that you know." he said with a sigh.

"They think that their slick, but this means we can keep up the charade until they crack. So, Ziva, you have to look irresistible tonight."

"No problem."

Later that night, Lizzy was hiding in Tony's bathroom watching Tony and Ziva's awkward flirting. Just as they were about to kiss Tony pulled away and said, "Alright, Alright, I can't do this!"

"And why not?" Ziva asked.

"Cause I'm in love with Lizzy."

The door to the apartment opened and McGee, Abby, and Palmer walked in and Lizzy walked out of the bathroom. "You what?"

"That's right, I love her! I love her! I'm in love with Elizabeth Helena Gibbs." Tony turned to Lizzy and wrapped his arms around her and said, "I love you."

"I love you too." She kissed him briefly but passionately.

"Ahh we just thought that you guys were screwing around. We didn't actually think that you guys were in love. That's so sweet." Abby said.

The couple looked at their friends and saw their approval. "This is great all of us know now." Jimmy said.

"Chloe doesn't."

"Um, actually, Lizzy, she does." Abby said.

"How did she find out?" Abby and Ziva explained to her what happened and Lizzy looked away embarrassed, "Oh god. I can never look my baby sister in the eye again."

"She'll get over it." Ziva said.

"All that matters is that everyone knows now. And I no longer have to keep this secret."

"Actually my parents and Ducky don't know." Lizzy corrected Jimmy.

"Yeah, and we'd appreciate it if none of you told them." Tony said.

Jimmy just frowned and mumbled but they all agreed.

Tony and Lizzy talked that night, in bed, and they decided to take Jenny out to dinner within the week to tell her about their relationship before she found out in an unfortunate way like everyone else in their lives did. Tony was trying to figure out how he was going to tell Gibbs without getting a bullet put between his eyes. "Babe?"

"Yeah, Tony?" Lizzy said.

"We should tell your dad."

"No."

"Liz, I get that your upset-"

"Tony, he left with no explanation. If he wanted to be in my life why hasn't he even tried to contact me or any of us. You don't have an answer do you? It's because he doesn't want to be involved in my life. So why should I give him the courtesy of knowing about us?"

"Liz, I get that he hurt you but at some point you have to talk to him."

"No I don't."

"You are so stubborn."

"But you love me regardless."

"For some reason." He kissed her and climbed on top of her.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS.

Chapter 10

A few days after the team found out about Tony and Lizzy's relationship, Jenny came over to Lizzy's apartment but didn't see either of her daughters around. "Lizzy? Rachel? Are either of you here?"

Lizzy was in the shower with Tony when she heard her mother's voice. "Shit, my mom's here."

"Crap. You still haven't told your mother about us have you?" When Lizzy shook her head, Tony sighed in frustration, "Liz, how could you not tell her yet?"

"I didn't know how to tell her."

"Well, we have to tell her something now."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it. Just stay in the bathroom o.k?"

"Fine but, Liz, I'm sick of hiding my relationship with you from everyone. Either you tell her or I will."

Liz got out of the shower and put on her robe. She walked out of the bathroom and looked at her mother, "Mom, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to check in on you and Rachel. See how the two of you are doing."

"Mom, we're fine. We're more worried about you. How are you doing with what's going?"

"I'm doing better but I need to ask you something."

"What's up, mom?"

"It's very clear that your father wants this divorce to go through. And between him not calling and him not answering any of my calls it is obvious that he wants nothing to do with me anymore and why should I waste my time like some fool."

"Your point, mom?"

"I want to know what you think about me dating again?"

"Mom, I think dad is getting on with his life and it is high time that you did the same." Lizzy said with a small smile.

"Thank you. How do you think Rachel will react?"

"With her it can go either way. Do Annie and Chloe know about you wanting to date?"

"Yes. Annie is supportive and she chose a few colorful words to describe your father while Chloe is more angry about the situation. She is not as supportive. She thinks I should work it out with Jethro."

"She'll get over it."

"How do you know?"

"Mom, for years you sacrificed everything to make the perfect home for us. When Sammy died, Daddy blamed you because you were supposed to take them bike riding but you couldn't because you were taking care of Annie who was sick with the chicken pox. Dad was out with Decker, Pacci, and Ducky getting a drink. He blamed you for what happened and you still forgave him. Then after a few months of divorce, he remarries."

"What is your point, Lizzy?"

"My dad is a bastard. He put everything on you and when things went wrong he blamed you. You did it all and it still wasn't enough. You deserve someone who is going to appreciate you. Chloe is having a tough time accepting this because she doesn't want to think badly of dad. But she will eventually understand."

"Hey, Lizzy, look at me. Look at me. I don't want you to think about your father like that. No matter what issues are going on between your father and I remember how much he loves you. He always loves you. From the moment he first saw you on the sonogram picture, he loved you. Come here." She took her daughter in her arms and hugged her. "I love you and so does your father. Remember that."

"O.k. mom. Since we are talking about relationships there is something I need to tell you."

"What's that?"

"I've been seeing someone and it is serious."

"How serious?"

"I've never felt like this before for anyone. I can't help but think about him when he's not around me and when he is my heart beats faster and slower at the same time. I get these big knots in my stomach that only get tighter when he looks at me. And when he smiles at me, I feel such a sense of bliss. I really love him, mom."

"Sweetheart, I'm so happy for you. Who is he? When can I meet him?"

"I'm happy for me too. His name is Tony and I want you to come out to dinner with us tomorrow night."

"No problem. Where?"

"At Palena's."

"O.k. I'll meet the two of you there." Jenny walked over to the door and hugged her daughter "I love you."

"I love you too." Lizzy closed the door and saw Tony there completely dressed. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough. Did you really mean all those things you said about me?"

"Yes. I really did, Tony."

"I love you." Tony said wrapping his arms around her.

"I love you too." Lizzy kissed her boyfriend.

"So I guess we tell your mother about us tomorrow?"

"Yup. Are you o.k. with dinner at Palena's tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

The next night, Tony must have changed his outfit eleven times before he was somewhat comfortable with his appearance. He didn't want to make it seem like he was trying too hard to impress Jenny. He still couldn't figure out what her reaction was going to be. Tony's palms kept sweating up and he thought, "Now I know how Probie feels on a date."

"Hey, Tony, are you ready?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Yup. Let's go." Lizzy walked into the room and smiled, "Sharp suit but you don't have to be so nervous. My mom doesn't bite too hard."

"Liz, your not helping."

"Just relax. Everything is going to be fine." she said before kissing him on the cheek.

They got to the restaurant and sat down at the table. "So what do I say?"

"Just be yourself and if she sees what I see, then she'll love you."

"O.k. Hey, there she is."

The two stood up and Lizzy said, "Hi, mom" Lizzy said.

"Hello, sweetheart, and Tony? This was not the Tony that I was thinking of?"

"Yeah."

"So how long has this been going on?"

"A little over a year."

"Lizzy, why didn't you tell me that you were dating one of my agents?"

"I didn't know how and at the time he was a member of dad's team."

"So why let the secret out now?"

"We were tired of hiding our relationship and we love each other." Tony said.

Just then Lizzy got a phone call from her best friend and business partner, Tessa. "It's work. I'll be right back." Lizzy got up to answer the call.

"I was wondering why you turned down the offer to befriend a beautiful coed but now I understand. You had been dating my daughter."

Back in July, Jenny had approached Tony with an offer to woo a doctor by the name of Jeanne Benoit but Tony refused the assignment. Tony couldn't go through the guilt and hurting Lizzy like that.

"Yeah, at that point I had already fallen in love with Lizzy and could not, would not hurt her like that. She is the most important person in my life and I would do anything for her."

"Then just promise me one thing, Tony."

"What's that."

"Don't hurt her. Lizzy wears her heart on her sleeve and I don't want to see her get hurt."

"I don't want to hurt her. I love her."

"O.k. then."


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS.

Chapter 11

Since that day, Tony and Lizzy didn't hide their relationship in or outside of NCIS but they warned everyone not to breathe a word to Gibbs.

In the last week of August, the four Gibbs girls went to Stillwater, Pennsylvania to visit their grandfather. On the drive up, the girls sang along with the radio and the closer they got to the small town, they started losing cell phone reception. "Annie, call mom and let her know that we're almost there." Rachel said.

"No problem." Rachel had been supportive of their mother dating but she always secretly hoped that her parents would get back together.

"How do you think grandpa is?" Chloe asked.

"He's good from the last time I talked to him but I told him that we were coming in next week and could only stay for a few days." Lizzy said.

"So he has no idea that we are staying for two weeks?" Rachel asked.

"Nope. Ah, here we are." Lizzy pulled up in front of her grandfather's house. They opened the door with a spare key that their grandpa had given them. They put their bags away and left the house to go to their grandfather's store.

They walked into the store and saw their grandfather tending to a customer. "I'll be with you in a moment." Jack said not looking their way right away but when he did, he couldn't stop the smile that had spread across his face. "I thought you girls were coming in next week?"

"We wanted to surprise you, grandpa." Annie said.

Jack came out from behind the counter and hugged each of his girls and said kissed their cheeks. "You four have gotten so beautiful. Annie you look just like your grandmother and Rachel you look more and more like Jenny each time I see you. Come in sit down. I want to catch up with the four of you."

The girls sat down and Jack sat down with them after bringing a pot of coffee with him. "How have you been, grandpa?" Chloe asked.

"I've been well, sweetie. What about you four? And how are Jenny and Leroy?"

"We're good grandpa. Lizzy and Rachel are both in serious relationships though."

"Really, maybe I should give your father my old Winchester to scare them a bit." Jack said jokingly. When he saw his granddaughters somber expressions, he knew that something was wrong, "What happened? Is Leroy alright?"

"He's fine. It's just that he got hurt on the job and became very confused. He thought Annie was Kelly and mom was Shannon. Afterwards, he left for Mexico and we haven't heard from them since. That was back in May." Chloe said.

"Grandpa, why didn't you tell us about Kelly and Shannon?" Lizzy asked.

"I never knew how to tell you girls about your half-sister and stepmom. And your father didn't want you girls or your mother to know about them."

"Why?" Rachel asked. "I mean we had a right to know about our sister."

"Yes you did but it was your father's choice and there is something you four should know. When your grandmother died, anger entered your father. The first time I saw it leave him was when he married Shannon. The darkness had finally left him until Shannon and your sister Kelly were murdered. Then, that darkness was back with a vengeance. He was angry with me for showing up to the funeral with a date and that led to the rift between me and him. When he met your mother, she was able to slowly heal your father of his wounds. You girls and your brother brought out the best in him. I had never seen Leroy that happy. But when Sammy died, it destroyed him. I think not being able to protect your brother brought up old feelings of his late wife and daughter. So don't hate your father for what happened. Try to be understanding. How is Jenny taking all of this?"

"She's trying to hold it together. Dad is not answering any of her calls that she finally gave up. She started dating." Chloe said bitterly.

"I'll come up and visit her soon. See how she is doing."

"I think mom would really like that." Lizzy said.

"So what are these boyfriends of your like? Do I need to come up there and remind these boys that if they do anything I will hurt them?" Jack asked with a smile.

"No, grandpa, their good." Rachel said with a smile.

Later that night, Lizzy approached her grandfather and said, "Grandpa, I need to talk to you."

"What is it, darling?" Jack asked with a smile.

"The man that I am dating is a NCIS agent and he is a former agent on dad's team. I don't know how to tell him."

"Just be honest with your father. He will understand but that is not what you wanted to ask me, now was it?"

"How did you-"

"I've known you for your whole life, Lizzy. You can't lie to me. And where do you think your father got his gut feelings from?"

"I guess he had to have gotten it from somewhere. Well it's just that I don't know how to forgive dad for what happened."

"What do you mean?"

"Well why hide them from us unless he was ashamed and didn't think that we deserved to know. And if that's the case, were we just mistakes? Were we just placeholders for him?"

"I want you to listen to me very carefully, Lizzy, your father loves you. When he first found out that he was going to be a father again, he called me and started crying because he didn't think he could see past Kelly. But when he held you in his arms, he wouldn't stop smiling. He was the one to name you and the first one to hold you. He didn't want to let you go. When they took you to the nursery, he would be there all night watching over you. When you first started school, your father was scared that something was going to happen to you. He has loved and worried about you and your sisters all of your lives. And whatever is going on with him, Leroy will eventually come to his senses and realize that he belongs with your mother and you girls. Rachel told me about the divorce. How's your mom taking it?"

"She didn't get out of bed for four days. She was heartbroken."

"I always liked Jenny. Between us, your father and Jenny were better matched than Shannon and your father."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well Shannon was the first love of your father's life, but Jenny is your father's soulmate. She never took any of your father's crap and she always put him in his place. They complimented each other. Your father knows that. He'll come to his senses and come back to your mother. It may not be tomorrow or the next day but he will. I have faith."

"Thank you grandpa. I love you." she said giving him a hug.

"I love you too, darling. Get some sleep. You're helping me in the shop tomorrow."

"Grandpa."

"Don't grandpa me." He said with a smile.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS.

Chapter 12

Two weeks passed by quickly in Stillwater and the girls returned to D.C. Jack came up with them and stayed with them until the school year started on September 8th. He helped cheer Jenny up but as soon as Jack left, the loneliness kicked in not only for Jenny but for the girls as well. No matter what problems any of them were having with Jethro, none them could deny how much they missed him.

Lizzy walked into the bullpen and looked around for her boyfriend while carrying a couple platters of food. "Hey, Lizzy." McGee said.

"Hey, Tim. Where is everyone?"

"Ziva and Lee went to bring in a suspect and Tony is downstairs talking to Abby. What have you got there?"

"Oh I kind of need a favor."

"Sure what's up?"

"I need all of you to be my guinea pigs. I'm working on a few desserts and I need you guys to give me your honest opinion."

"Cool so what have we got?"

"Double chocolate, red velvet, french vanilla, and night and day cakes."

"What's a night and day cake?"

"Half chocolate and half vanilla."

"I'm sure their all going to be delicious."

"Thanks, Tim but I need to know if they really are and the best way to test that is to have others eat it so please let me know what you think and don't hold back. Be completely honest."

"Can I try them now?"

"Go for it."

"O.k. let's try red velvet first." McGee took a bite and moaned at the deliciousness. "This is amazing, Lizzy."

"Really? You don't think it's too rich?"

"No their perfect."

"Thanks, McGee." Then, Ziva and Lee walked into the bullpen "Hey, guys. I brought you guys some dessert."

"Thanks, Lizzy. It looks delicious." Ziva said taking a bite of the double chocolate.

"Umm, that is not allowed." Lee said.

"What isn't allowed?" Ziva asked.

"Being leisurely while on a case and socializing during work."

"O.k. So I'm going to go see Tony and take these down to Abby, Ducky, and Palmer."

"You don't have to come look for me. I'm right here." Tony said coming over to his girlfriend and giving her a kiss.

"Um, boss?"

"Yeah, Probie." Tony said annoyed at Agent Lee

"Public Displays of Affection are not allowed in the work place."

"Lee, I'm the team leader and she is the daughter of the Director. We'll do as we please." That shut Agent Lee up.

"Tony, you know I hate using my mother's position to get anything."

"Yeah, I know but she needs to learn that sometimes you have to take the rule book and throw it out the window."

"O.k. Just take it easy on them."

"I will. I'll see you tonight."

"Tonight. Bye, guys."

They all said goodbye to Lizzy when McGee said, "Tony, you better not let that girl go. She's perfect and one hell of a cook."

"Don't I know it and I have no intention of letting her go." Tony's phone started ringing. Upon picking it up, Tony could hear the panic in Director Shepard's voice. "I'll be right up, ma'am." Tony went upstairs to talk to the Director. "Director, are you alright?"

"Look at the table, DiNozzo."

Tony looked at the table and saw four pictures. One of each of the Director's daughter. Tony furrowed his brow and upon further inspection he noticed that on each of their foreheads was a small red dot. "Director, what is this? Who sent these?"

"You know who sent these." Jenny said with a growl.

"La Grenouille? I thought the girls were safe?"

"I thought so too. But apparently not as safe as we thought. Tony, I really need your help on this one. I need to get this bastard. We can think of a new plan. You don't need to romance Jeanne Benoit, but you can simply befriend her."

"How would I get close enough to her to do that?"

"I've looked into Jeanne and I found that the hospital that she works in needs a new mailman. It can be part time. You can get close to her from your position and find out where her father is."

"Alright. I'll do this but only to protect Lizzy."

"Good. Let's work on a new identity for you."

Tony started working more and more and it was starting to concern Lizzy. She didn't want her boyfriend to burn himself out. He was so tired, that Tony didn't have the energy to watch movies anymore. He would come home and fall asleep. She was worried and Tony wanted to tell her what was going on but was afraid of her reaction. All he wanted to do was protect her and he didn't care what happened to him as long as she was safe.

Lizzy had finally had enough and went to confront her mother about it. "Mom, he's working too hard. You're pushing him too much. Tony, is exhausted every night. I can't see him like that anymore."

"Lizzy, it's his job. And he has big shoes to fill."

"Mom, he is doing the best that he can and he is doing a great job as team leader. Just please lay off a little. He isn't dad which means he can't function without sleep. He needs to get some rest."

"Alright, I'll lay off a bit. I won't assign his team with as many weekend shifts."

"Thank you. I'll see you later."

Jenny did ease up on Tony but he kept up with his double life and got closer to Jeanne. He wanted this wrapped up soon so Lizzy would be safe. Being the daughter of the director of NCIS, Lizzy's life was always in danger, but with La Grenouille locked up, that would be one less threat against her. Just as things were progressing smoothly with the team, Ziva was framed with murder. Wanting to be there for their friend, the Gibbs girls rushed to NCIS to help in any way they could, even if was just to offer support. What they didn't expect was who they saw when they got there. "Dad?" all four said confused that he was there.

"Hi." Gibbs said with a small smile.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS.

Chapter 13

Chloe ran up to Gibbs and hugged him but pulled away quickly when she felt him tense up. "Oh, sorry I didn't-"

"It's o.k., Chloe. I missed you too. I missed all of you."

"Yeah, I'm sure you did." Lizzy mumbled sarcasticly but everyone heard her.

"Lizzy, now is not the time." Their mother replied coming into the room.

"That's right. Right now, we have to help Ziva." Gibbs said.

Thirty hours later

It was around ten that night when Tony got home. He took off his shoes and dressed in sweats and settled in front of the T.V. About halfway through Magnum P.I., Tony heard a knock on his door. He got up and looked to see who was at the door. Upon opening the door, he saw Lizzy standing there with a steady stream of tears flowing down her cheeks. "Liz, what's wrong, babe?"

"Can I come in?" She asked.

"Of course." He let her and she went to sit on the couch. "Liz, what's wrong. I thought you were spending some time with your family tonight?"

"I was but I just... I just couldn't... Tony, could you just hold me, please?" Tony sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms.

"What happened, babe? You know you can tell me anything."

"I don't know where to start."

"Well, the beginning is always a good place to start a story." This caused Lizzy to laugh a bit. "There's that beautiful smile that I love so much."

"You're so corny."

"Liz, the story."

"O.k." she started telling Tony what happened that night.

Flashback

_The four Gibbs girls walked into their mother's Georgetown home. They brought home their mother's favorite Chinese take out and set it on the kitchen table. Their mother's office door was closed so they just assumed that she was working late. After twenty minutes of waiting for their mom to appear, they decided to drag her out of the study for some food. The four of them were all worried __about he, ever since their father left for Mexico, Jenny had been working more and sleeping and eating less. _

_ "Hey, mom, we brought dinner for you." Chloe said opening the door to the study._

_ Upon opening the door, the girls saw their father and mother talking to each other while having a glass of bourbon. "Hi, girls." Jenny said._

_ "Mom, dad, what's going on here?" Annie asked._

_ "Nothing much. Did I hear you say dinner cause I'm starved." Gibbs said with a soft smile._

_ The four of them sat at the island in the kitchen eating their dinner in total silence. All that could be heard was the passing of cartons and chewing noises. In other word it was beyond awkward. About twenty minutes into their meal, Annie got up and said, "May I be excused?"_

_ "Why? Annie your father just came back from Mexico after being away for four months and he wants to see you." Jenny said trying to make an effort._

_ "Mom, he left us not the other way around. Why are we all even acting like things are the same when everything has completely changed?" Annie yelled angrily._

_ "Annie, stop it." Rachel said._

_ "No, she's right. Everything has changed and I would like to know why he left." Lizzy said angrily._

_ "What do you want to know?" Gibbs asked quietly._

_ "Why didn't you tell us that you had a family before mom and all of us?" Lizzy asked._

_ "I didn't know how to tell you five."_

_ "So if that bomb never exploded we never would have known that we had a half-sister sister and another stepmom?" Annie yelled._

_ "No. I didn't want you to know about them."_

_ "So were we just a replacement or something?" Lizzy angrily asked. When Gibbs took a second too long to answer, Lizzy replied with tears in her eyes, "That moment of hesitation was all the confirmation that I needed to know that you never wanted us."_

_ "Lizzy, that is not true. I have loved you all of your life."_

_ "But none of us can compete with a ghost, dad. You're living in the past and I hope you realize that not only have you lost one family now, but you've lost the another one as well."_

_ "I'm sorry, Lizzy, and I should have told you about Shannon and Kelly. I should have told all of you. And if you don't want me in your lives anymore that's o.k. but just know one thing, it was never a __competition. I have had two great loves in my life and six beautiful children. I managed to find a place in my heart for all of you. And if you forget everything that I ever told you, remember this. I do love you." With that Gibbs walked out of the house and into his truck._

_ "Lizzy, what the hell did you just do?!" Rachel yelled._

_ "What, Rach, what do you want me to say? I just said what everyone in this room was thinking so don't even deny it."_

_ "Yeah, but you didn't have to be so cruel about it."_

_"Rachel, if he wanted to be here, he would be. Once again he walked away."_

_ "Only because you did everything in your power to kick him out all except the physical action."_

_ "Enough!" Jenny yelled at them. "I'm sick and tired of what this accident has done to our family. Lizzy, no matter what he is your father and you will show him some respect. He didn't deserve what you just did. And how could you question your father's love for all of us? Has he ever given you any indication that he doesn't love us?"_

_ "Mom, he sent you divorce papers a week after the accident! He left for Mexico without saying goodbye! He came back from Mexico to assist Tony on a case! All of you are blind if you believe that he actually gives a damn about us!" Lizzy screamed._

_ A sharp slap cut Lizzy off before she could continue with her tirade. "Enough, Elizabeth. Enough." Jenny said with a stern voice._

_ "Fine." with that Lizzy walked out of the house and got into her car._

End Flashback

"Then I drove and drove and I wound up here." She told Tony now lying her head on his chest with his arms wrapped around her and a glass of wine in her hands.

Tony kissed the top of her head and whispered soothingly to her. "Tony, do you think I'm a bad person for what I said to my dad?"

"Not a bad person, just an angry one. And you have every right to be but I think you went a bit overboard."

"I know."

"Liz, look at me. Your father loves you. I always wished that I had a father like yours. My dad, ignored me and when I got in his way, well let's just say that things were not good. He shipped me off to boarding school and summer camps just so he didn't have to deal with me. Your dad did everything to make sure all of you were a family." This only made Lizzy cry harder and Tony hugged her tighter. "I love you, Liz. Don't forget that."

Lizzy looked up at Tony with tears in her eyes and said, "I love you too." She kissed him and things became heated way too quickly.

Tony reluctantly pulled away and said, "Liz, we can't."

"What do you mean we can't. It's not like it's our first time."

"No I mean, your vulnerable right now and you're not thinking straight. I'm not making love to you when your like this. You need a shoulder for the night not sex."

"Wow, I'm amazed most guys would have gone with it but not you."

"Well I guess I must really love you."

"Could you be anymore adorably perfect?"

"Well I could certainly try." This caused Lizzy to laugh. "Now there's that smile that I love so much. Come on, your tired and you should get some sleep."

The next morning, Lizzy woke up by herself in bed but could hear Tony in the kitchen. "Hey, something smells good." She said upon walking in.

"Yeah, well you always cook for me so I thought why not a change of pace. I made you a ham and cheese omelette."

"Looks good." Lizzy said digging in.

"Well you better each fast cause we have somewhere to be."

"Where's that?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out so hurry up and get dressed so we can go."

An hour later, Tony pulled up in front of Gibbs' house and Lizzy looked at him curiously. "Why are we here?"

"Liz, you need to fix things with your dad otherwise your going to regret it for the rest of your life and I don't want you to have any regrets. Go talk to him I'll stay out here." Lizzy walked out of the car and entered the house. After sitting in the car for about two hours, Tony wondered how things were going between the two of them. He walked into the house and made his way into the basement. He saw Lizzy sitting in the unfinished boat with a bottle of bourbon in front of her and the old T.V. playing what looked to be a homemade video. "Liz, you o.k.?"

Lizzy didn't answer the question. She just sat there looking at the T.V. Finally she spoke. "This was my seventh birthday party. I loved that day. I dressed up as a princess and daddy was the prince. I'll never forget that day." Lizzy said crying. Her cries became hysterical and Tony took her in his arms and just held her.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS.

Chapter 14

Things were still tense between the Gibbs girls but they managed to act civil towards one another. That night was never brought up again and they simply acted like it never happened. Jethro and Jenny were still moving forward with their divorce but based upon Lizzy's and Annie's outbursts they were moving forward with it very quietly. Gibbs was planning to permanently moving to Mexico and the only way to do that would be to sell his house. Chloe and Rachel were helping him pack up his things and they kept reminiscing about the past. Gibbs went through a box and found a strawberry shortcake lunchbox. When he opened it, he found some pictures of Kelly and Shannon. "Daddy, what are you looking at?" Chloe asked.

"Take a look." Gibbs showed the two of them the pictures.

"Are these pictures of Kelly and Shannon?"

"Yeah."

"They're beautiful."

"Yeah, they were."

"Daddy, do you think I can have one of these pictures. I just want one of Kelly cause she is family and I want to put one in my album." Chloe said.

"Yeah, here you go."

"Thanks."

"How's your mom?"

"She's fine. Keeping busy with work and all." Rachel said.

"Yeah. I hope she's not working herself into the ground like she likes to do."

"What Rachel forgot to mention was that mom is dating now."

"What?" Gibbs said.

"Yeah."

"Good for her."

"What, you're not even going to fight for her?" Chloe asked shocked.

"Chloe, your mom is a big girl and she needs to take care of herself every once in a while."

"Whatever."

"What about Lizzy and Annie?"

"Annie is busy with school and breaking a few hearts while in school and Lizzy is busy with work."

"Is there a man in her life?" Gibbs asked curious.

"You could say that." Rachel said casting Chloe a warning look to keep her mouth shut.

"Is he good to her?"

"Yeah, dad."

"Do they love each other?"

"Yeah, daddy. They really do."

Across town, Tony and Lizzy were sitting in Tony's kitchen eating pizza when Tony asked her about her father. "Have you talked to him yet?"

"No and I'm not going."

"Why not?"

"Tony, no matter what he lied to me, to everyone and acted like it was nothing. Not only that he left without offering an explanation. How can I forgive him?"

"I don't know, Liz, but you have to."

"Why is this so important to you?"

"Liz, he's your dad. You need to fix things."

"Tony, when and if I decide to fix things with my father it will be decided upon by me and not by you so just leave it alone."

"I can't, Liz. All of us have forgiven him except you, Annie, and apparently Ducky."

"There's a reason for that!"

"Get over yourself, Liz. He didn't just hurt you by leaving, he hurt all of us!"

"Get over myself! You need to get over yourself! Your the one that is keeping secrets from me all of a sudden. You come in at all hours of the night and I know that it's not work related because I talked to Ziva and she told me that there weren't any undercover ops going on. So what are you hiding from me. Although I shouldn't be surprised, you were trained by the best to keep secrets!"

"Liz, you better watch out cause you are pushing it and I don't want to say something that I will regret!"

"Go ahead and say it then, say whatever you want!"

"Your acting like a spoiled bitch! We've all been tiptoeing around you so we wouldn't hurt your feelings or upset you! Oh and FYI I can do whatever I damn well feel like in my spare time and I don't appreciate you using Ziva or any member of my team for that matter to check up on me!"

"You know what, I don't need to stay here and listen to this. I'm out of here. Call me when the Tony I fell in love with comes back." She got up and walked out the door and slammed the door behind her.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Just a heads up some of the episodes from season 4 may be out of order in the chapters to come.

Chapter 15

It had been a few days since Tony and Lizzy's fight and the two have not spoken since. Both were stubborn and didn't want to be the first to give in and apologize. The fight with his girlfriend had put Tony in a foul mood and everyone at work noticed. "Tony, what did you do to Lizzy?" Ziva asked angrily one morning when Gibbs left the bullpen. (A/N: At this point, season 4 episode 2 has taken place and Gibbs has returned to NCIS.)

"What are you talking about Zee-Vah? I did not do anything to her."

"Really, because I saw her last night and she was a mess. She has been upset for days and I practically had to drag out of her apartment yesterday to go out with me. And since Lizzy is normally a very cheerful person and last night she could not keep the tears out of her eyes and you being who you are, I can only assume that you are responsible."

"Well for your information, Zee-Vah, Lizzy is being stubborn and pig-headed and will not talk to her father. I think she should forgive him and move on, she thinks otherwise."

"Tony, you have to understand that Gibbs lied to her and then disappeared."

"We have forgave him, why can't she?"

"Because the man that she idolized, who claimed he would always be there for her just up and left and you want her to just forgive him. And to add insult to injury, he is filing for divorce from Jenny." Ziva said.

"What?" Tony asked shocked.

"Wait, the Director and Gibbs are getting a divorce?" McGee asked.

"Yes, Jenny received the divorce papers a few days after Gibbs left for Mexico."

"I didn't know that." Tony said looking down.

"Well now you do. If you don't want to lose her, I suggest you apologize. She has been through a lot. And for your information she never asked me about work, I asked her about your whereabouts." Ziva said sitting back down at her desk.

Over the next few days, Tony kept trying to call Lizzy but she kept ignoring his phone calls. Finally, after her constantly ignoring his calls, Tony made the decision to go over to her apartment. "Lizzy, open the door. I want to talk." he said banging on the door.

"Go away, Tony." Lizzy yelled from behind the door.

"Not until we talk." Tony looked down and saw a shadow under the door. "I'm not leaving until we talk and I know you want to talk to."

"What gave you that assumption?"

"Because you are standing behind your door. Come on, Liz, open the door." The door opened to reveal Liz. "Hi." Tony said with a smile.

"Hi. Come in." She said gesturing for him to enter.

"What have you been up to?"

"Keeping busy." Lizzy said simply walking into the kitchen and started churning milk.

"Are you making ice cream?"

"Yeah, I do that when I'm upset and or can't sleep. What have you been up to?"

"What flavor?"

"Lavender Honey and you didn't answer my question."

"Just keeping busy with work."

"How is everything with that? I know my father has been appointed Senior Field Agent in Charge of the MCRT, how are you dealing with it?"

"Your dad is great agent. I'm happy to be working under him."

"Why are you here, Tony?"

"I'm sorry, Lizzy. I shouldn't have said what I said."

"Your right, you shouldn't have. But you did. Why?"

"I was angry and upset with your dad too. He's not only a dad to you, but he's been more of a father to me than my own. Do you know how much it hurt me to find out that your father never told me about you or your sisters or Shannon and Kelly?"

"Tony, you have no idea how much my father hurt me by keeping Shannon and Kelly a secret. He was my greatest idol, he taught me how to think for myself, how to question authority, to follow my instincts, and most importantly that you never walk out on your family. How can I even trust anything he ever told me when one of the most important rules he ever taught me, he simply ignored as if it was nothing?"

"You know he was messed up from the accident, right?"

"I'm aware what the accident did, I just don't understand why he couldn't sort things out in D.C.? Why run off to Mexico?"

"I don't know what to tell you, Liz. How's your mother handling all of this?"

"Ziva told you didn't she, about the divorce. Yeah, she's taking it with a grain of salt."

"Is she o.k.?"

"She's fine."

"Liz, I never meant to say those things-"

"I know you didn't, it was the heat of the moment." She came around and hugged him, "But, if you ever do anything like that ever again I will castrate you."

Tony chuckled but then turn serious, "You're joking, right?"

"Tony, my mother is known for her castration techniques. Do you really think she did not teach me how to do the same?"

"I guess I better watch what I say from now on."

"Yeah which brings us to the second part of our fight, what have you been doing in your spare time?"

"Liz, you're putting me in an awkward situation." Tony said after a moment of hesitation.

"Just tell me this, are you cheating on me?" Liz whispered looking down at the floor.

"Is that what you think? I could never cheat on you, Liz." He picked up her chin and made her look into his eyes. "I love you too much to do that to you."

"I love you too, Tony." She kissed him tenderly on the mouth and hugged him tightly.

A/N: I couldn't keep them pissed at each other forever. But don't worry more sparks will fly between these two.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 16

Tony and Lizzy's relationship was still somewhat strained but Lizzy was convinced that Tony wasn't cheating on her. She was still curious as to what Tony kept doing in his spare time though.

Tony kept feeling guilty about what he said to Lizzy and his actions afterwards. Tony was getting in deep with his undercover mission and had managed to befriend his target, Jeanne Benoit. He could see why the Director wanted him to romance her, she was beautiful, smart, and caring, everything that a man could ever want in a woman. He could easily fall in love with her, but something was stopping him. And that something was his love for Lizzy.

Flashback

_Tony was doing his rounds at the hospital and he finally reached the trauma ward. This was the ward that Jeanne was working in. For months now, Tony had been establishing a relationship with her and she was trusting him more and more each day. Tony had managed to keep his cover and she was unaware of his true intentions. Today, Tony was in a particularly foul mood due to his fight with Lizzy. At the time, the ward was almost empty except for his target. "Tony, how are you this afternoon?" Jeanne asked._

_ "I'm fine." He said simply._

_ "You don't seem fine. What's wrong?"_

_ "Just everyday problems, Dr. Benoit."_

_ "Tony, how many times do I have to ask you to call me, Jeanne."_

_ "O.k., Jeanne."_

_ "So, what are you doing tonight, Tony?"_

_ "Probably just going home, watch a movie or something."_

_ "Well, if that's all you're going to do, why don't you come out me and a few other coworkers tonight."_

_ "Where are you guys going?"_

_ "A bar in Georgetown."_

_ "Sounds good. I'll join you guys."_

_ "Great. Why don't we meet up at the end of my shift and we'll go together?"_

_ "Sounds good."_

_ "Great meet me out front in about thirty minutes."_

_ "See you then" Thirty minutes later, Tony saw Jeanne waiting for him outside the hospital. "Hey, sorry about being late but Bob in accounting stopped me and you know how that goes."_

_ "Yeah, I do the guy is a chatterbox." Jeanne said with a laugh._

_ Tony drove Jeanne to the bar and they sat down at the bar. "So, where's everyone else?" Tony asked._

_ "Oh, they couldn't make it." Jeanne said with a shrug. "So, Tony, how did you become a mailman?"_

_ "It's a long story."_

_ "Come on, Tony, I'm interested."_

_ "O.k. I had bill that was piling up and I need some money to help cover them. Actually, I guess it's a short story."_

_ "Yeah, it is."_

_ "So, what about you, Jeanne, why a doctor?"_

_ "My mom is a doctor and I like helping people." She took a sip of her cranberry and vodka before she said, "Can I ask you something?"_

_ "Sure, go ahead."_

_ "You seemed really agitated today, for the last couple of days actually, and I was just wondering if your alright?"_

_ "Oh, I'm fine, Jeanne. It's just I got into a fight with my girlfriend."_

_ "Girlfriend?" Jeanne asked deflated. "What happened? She too clingy or something?" Jeanne inquired with a hint of jealousy in her voice._

_ "No, nothing like that. We just got into an argument, a really big one."_

_ "Really?"_

_ "Yeah, she is fighting with her father and is taking it out on other people and me, her friends, and her family have to tiptoe around her to not upset her. She's either really pissed or really weepy. I just don't know what to do anymore. She won't talk to me about it."_

_ "She doesn't know what she has right in front of her. You're an amazing guy, Tony, any girl would be lucky to have you." Jeanne said while running her hand up his arm._

_ "Thank you, Jeanne. I have to be at my job early tomorrow morning, I'll take you home."_

_ "O.k"_

_ When they got to Jeanne's house, Tony walked her to her apartment and before he could say goodnight, Jeanne turned around and smashed her lips against his. Tony responded for a moment before realizing what he was doing and pulling away. "Jeanne, I'm sorry but I can't do this. I love my girlfriend too much."_

_ "It's o.k. I understand. If things do change and you are single, let me know."_

_ Tony just nodded and walked away._

End Flashback

Tony felt so guilty about what happened but he couldn't bring himself to tell Lizzy. He loved her too much and wouldn't cause her anymore pain. Correction, he couldn't cause her anymore pain. He could live with the guilt and maybe he would tell Lizzy one day about what happened, but that would have to wait until after Lizzy resolved things with her father.

Lizzy drove over to her father's house and shut off the engine. She took a deep breath and entered the house. She hadn't been here since the day she had a breakdown in the basement and the only reason she was here now was because Rachel had left her bag here and needed it for tonight. Lizzy found the bag but didn't hear the noises coming from the basement. The moment she became aware that someone else was in the house was when she heard a saw clatter to the ground and a loud "Dammit!"

Lizzy rushed downstairs and saw her father clutching his left hand. It was bleeding heavily. "Oh my god! What happened?"

"Lizzy what are you doing here?"

"I asked you first."

"I cut my hand. Now what are you doing here?"

"Rachel left her bag here last night. She asked me to come and get it. Let me see your hand."

"Lizzy, I'm fine. I don't need your help."

"You could need stitches. Just let me see it." Lizzy grabbed her father's hand and inspected it. "We have to get you to the hospital."

"Lizzy, I'm fine. It doesn't matter I have to be at work soon."

"It matters to met now come on."

Lizzy drove Gibbs to Bethesda and they were now in the waiting room. People kept getting seen before them even though they had already been in the waiting room for over an hour. "You may want to start moaning." Lizzy said to her father.

"What?"

"When I broke my wrist, or when Rachel did, or when Chloe broke her leg, or when Annie first started having hearing problems, and mom would bring us to the hospital, we saw that the patients that were seen first, were the ones that made a fuss. So, if you don't want to be here all night, I suggest you start moaning and groaning so they'll see you."

Gibbs let out a small moan that caused Lizzy to laugh, "That was pitiful."

"Yeah, it was." Lizzy and Gibbs started laughing together when Lizzy suddenly stopped. "Lizzy?"

"I shouldn't be laughing right now."

"Yeah, you should."

"Why?"

"Look, Lizzy it is o.k. to be happy. Even if I wasn't still here."

"Sure. Do you have any idea what you put us through, what you put me through?"

"No, I don't because you refuse to talk to me."

"Well you won't talk to me. So I guess it's true what they say about the apple and the tree."

"Look, I know leaving you and your mother and your sister was wrong and I will pay for that mistake for the rest of my life." Just then Gibbs was called by a nurse to be checked over by the doctor.

Afterwards, Lizzy drove her father home and sat with him in the basement. "The doctor said you shouldn't work on your boat tonight or for the rest of the week because of the stitches."

"I know my body's capabilities better than a doctor, Lizzy, and I want to finish this."

"Well I'm not about to let you disobey doctor's orders so sit down and tell me what you want done."

"You're going to work on the boat?"

"Yeah, so tell me what you want me to do."

"That side needs to be sanded."

"O.k."

That night Gibbs watched his oldest sand his boat. They didn't really talk much about they were comfortable with each other.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 17

First thing in the morning, Tony received a call from the Director to meet him in her office when he gets to the building. "Sure thing, Director. I'll see you then." Tony said answering his phone call. Tony looked at Lizzy who was lying on his chest. Last night, Tony didn't have to go undercover and decided to take Lizzy out. He wanted to get back to the place they were before the La Grenouille assignment started. He took her to Valentino's and then salsa dancing. When they got back to the apartment, it was the first time they made love in over a month. He stroked Lizzy's hair and whispered into her ear, "Lizzy, we have to get up."

Lizzy groaned and said, "No, let's just stay in bed all day."

"I'd love to keep you in bed all day but we have work. So come on, get up." Tony slapped her ass and Lizzy got up and chased after him into the shower.

Tony walked into the building but instead of getting off on the fourth floor instead of the third like he normally does. "She in?" Tony asked Cynthia.

"No, but she is expecting you. Go right on in Agent DiNozzo."

"Thanks, Cynthia."

Tony walked into the Director's office and noticed the flowers on her desk. He picked up the card and started reading. "May ask what you are doing with my flowers, Agent DiNozzo?"

Tony startled, turned around and saw the Director standing there. "I was just-"

"Snooping?"

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am." Tony said giving her the card.

"Tony, how would you rate your performance as team leader these last few months?"

"I would say that my performance was a solid B... minus."

"Really, because I thought your performance has been exemplary."

"Thank you, Director."

"Which brings me to why I asked to meet with you." She handed Tony a folder who inspected it.

"NCIS Rota, Spain?"

"Your own team. Congratulations."

"Yeah, but can I have some time to think about it."

"Of course but why?"

"Well, it's this assignment with La Grenouille, it would take months to get another agent into the position I am in now."

"Wait, your turning down a promotion for a renegade assignment? That's not the only reason."

"No, are you giving me this assignment because you don't like the fact that I'm dating Lizzy?"

"Tony, if I had a problem with you dating my oldest daughter, I would have had you transferred to Guantanamo instead of Spain, which is incidentally one of my daughters favorite countries. But if you still need some time to think about it, take it. How much time do you think you'll need to decide?"

"A couple of months, maybe."

"How does seventy two hours sound?"

"Really fast."

"I need an answer at the end of the week."

"I'll get back to you then."

"See that you do. But just remember that an opportunity like this may not come up again for years."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, ma'am."

When Tony got home that night, he didn't know how to tell Lizzy about the promotion. As soon as he walked in, he smelled lasagna baking in the oven. When he entered the kitchen, he saw Lizzy had his back to her. He came up behind and hugged her tightly while kissing her neck. "Something smells good."

"That would be the lasagna in the oven."

"I wasn't talking about the lasagna."

"I bought a new perfume when I went out with Tessa the other day."

"Yeah, what's the name cause I want to send a letter of my appreciation for a truly intoxicating scent."

Lizzy laughed and turned around. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him lightly on the lips. She reluctantly pulled away to take the lasagna out of the oven. They sat down for dinner and Lizzy could see that Tony was in deep thought. "You thinking about a case?"

"What, oh no just something the Dir- I mean your mom said to me today."

"What did she say?"

"She offered me a promotion."

"That's great, Tony, your own team!"

"Yeah, but it's in Rota, Spain."

"Spain? That's really far." She said quietly.

"Yeah, and your mom told me I have three days to make a decision."

"That's really fast."

"Yeah it is."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want some advice?"

"Absolutely cause I'm at a loss at what to do."

"This type of opportunity might not come again for several years-"

"Your mom told me this already."

"Well, then I'll skip to the grand finale. I think you should take the promotion."

"Are you sure?"

"Tony, I'll be sad to see you leave but you've walked so hard and you can think about yourself every once in a while. Sure, I'll be sad, but, I'll understand if you take the promotion."

"How did I get so lucky?"

"Sheer dumb luck."

"Yeah, that must be it."

Seventy two hours late, Tony's deadline had just passed and he was standing outside of the Director's office still unsure of what he was going to tell her. He finally got the courage to knock and heard a "Come in, Tony."

"I respect your decision." She told him.

"How can you know my decision? I just made up my mind behind the door."

"Lizzy never told you that until she was about four, he father and I were not married, did she?"

"No, but what does that have to do with-"

"I'm about to tell you. The reason why was because I chose a job over Jethro. I left him a Dear John letter in London and left for Spain. Two weeks later, I found out I was pregnant. I returned to D.C. and told Jethro about the pregnancy. He asked me to marry him and I said no. I was not about to get married just because I was pregnant and I did not want to be tied down, even if it was to a man that I really loved. I told Jethro I would marry him one day but when we finally tied the knot, I had two children."

"Not to be rude or anything, ma'am, but what is the point?"

"The point is, to get here, in this office, especially as a woman, my career has been on the fast track for my entire life. I made many sacrifices and looking back on them I have more regrets than accomplishments. Sometimes I wish that I had slowed down. That's why I respect your decision. You are more than an NCIS agent, Tony. Enjoy your life."

"Thank you, ma'am. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Tony." Tony walked out of the room and returned home to Lizzy. He found her in bed asleep. He stripped to his boxers and cuddled up behind her and kissed her neck.

"Tony, how'd it go?" Lizzy said sleepily.

"I turned down the promotion."

This caused Lizzy to wake up. "Why, Tony. You've worked so hard-"

"That's the reason why I said no. I've worked hard and I deserve some happiness and right now my happiness is tied to you. If I go to Spain, I'd lose you and I don't want that."

"That is so corny." She kissed him. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

A few days later, Jenny walked into Gibbs' basement and saw him sanding his boat. She had promised Lizzy not to tell Jethro anything about her and Tony's relationship and she respected her daughter's decision but she warned Lizzy to tell her father soon otherwise she would. "I know you're standing there, Jen."

"Jethro, how are you?"

"I'm fine you?"

"Good."

"How'd that doctor treating you?" He said still not looking up at her.

"Is that why you called me over here because I am not in the mood to argue with you, Jethro."

"No, that's why asked you over here."

"Then why?"

"Jason wants to talk to us about something. He couldn't get a hold of you so I told him I would pass on the message."

"Oh. Where is he?"

"He'll be hear in a minute."

After a few minutes, Jason walked into the basement and saw his girlfriend's parents there."

"Jason, what is all of this about?" Jenny asked.

"I want to ask both of your permission to marry, Rachel."

"You want to marry Rachel?" Gibbs asked shocked.

"Yes, sir, I love her and I can't imagine my life without her."

"You have my permission, Jason." Jenny said with a smile.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"You can call me Jenny." Jenny nudged Jethro who looked lost in thought.

"Let's go for a walk, Jason." Gibbs said.

"Yes, sir."

For a long time Gibbs was silent but he finally looked at Jason and said, "Do you really love her?"

"Yes, sir, I do."

"Then don't hurt her or I will hurt you."

"I understand, sir."

"You can call me sir." They continued walking when Gibbs asked, "Have you bought a ring yet?"

"Not yet, sir. I'm having trouble finding the perfect one."

"Come on." Gibbs said walking to his car.

"Where are we going, sir."

"To get my daughter's engagement ring."


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS.

A/N: O.k. in this chapter, Sharif has been dealt with and Colonel Mann and Gibbs are dating. I know that Sharif dies after the Halloween episode but for the sake of the story I changed that detail.

Chapter 18

Gibbs drove Jason to the boutique where he bought Jenny's second engagement ring. "Can I help you, gentlemen?" The store clerk asked.

"Yes, we're looking for an engagement ring." Jason said.

"Oh, well we have plenty that will fit your ring finger. I would estimate that your about a size 8." The clerk said.

"Oh, it's not for me-" Jason tried to say.

"Come on, sweety, don't be embarrassed. It's perfectly alright for a man to wear an engagement ring these days." Gibbs said with a smile.

"Very, funny. No actually we're looking for a ring for my girlfriend." Jason said while Gibbs laughed.

"Oh, let me pull some items for you. I'll be right back."

"Sir, tell me honestly. Are you o.k. with me asking Rachel to marry me?"

"I love Rachel, Jason, she is my daughter and I will always love her. Out of all of my girls, she was the one I never really worried about when it came to men cause she knew how to take care of herself. Sure she was a wild child and went out with some questionable men, but I knew that in the end she would find the right guy. Jason, if I wasn't o.k. with the two of you getting married, I would have found a place for my sniper's nest."

"Thank you, sir, and I promise you I will take care of her."

"I know you will."

They picked a simple diamond ring with two diamonds on either side. "Do you think she'll like it?"

"Rachel is a simple girl, she's going to love it. When do you plan on asking her?"

"I want to ask her on the anniversary of the day I first met her."

"Which was when?"

"November 1st. We met at this halloween party. It was around two in the morning when I first saw her. She was wearing this eighties rockstar outfit and I just couldn't keep my eyes off of her. I needed to talk to her. We talked until four that morning when I walked her home. The next morning we met up by accident while we were both going for a run. I asked if she wanted to get some coffee and the rest was history. That was about seven years ago when she was eighteen."

"It took you seven years to propose?" Gibbs asked.

"Well there was parts of that time were we broke up. She wanted more from me and I wasn't ready and there were times when I wanted and she wasn't ready. Not to mention my psycho ex."

"Yeah, those will due it. Oh, and as a tip, I'm not the only person that you have to convince about being good enough for her."

"Who else do I have to convince besides you and Jenny?"

"Her godfather, surrogate uncles, and the rest of the family."

"Are they a tough crowd?"

"Oh yeah, they are going to be your toughest critics. What are you planning to do after your tour ends?"

"My family owns a garage, my father offered me a job there but I don't know if I want to be a mechanic after leaving the military."

"What are you interested in?"

"I want to help people, sir. Jenny has even offered me a position at NCIS should I want one."

"You should take it, never a boring moment, but it's a lot of long hours."

"I know but since Rachel eventually wants to join NCIS too, I'll be able to see her."

"Yeah, you just better focus while at on the job."

"I will, sir."

Chloe and Annie were angry. That much was obvious when they stormed into their sisters' apartment and slammed the door.

Rachel, Jason, Lizzy, and Tony were sitting on the couch watching Top Gun when the young girls came into the apartment. "Hi?" Lizzy said confused.

"I cannot believe him!" Annie yelled.

"Believe who?" Rachel asked.

"Dad, he's dating that Army Colonel." Chloe said bitterly.

"O.k.?" Rachel said.

"O.k.? O.k.? That's all you have to say?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"How can daddy and mom get back together if they are dating other people?"

"Annie, daddy and mom are getting a divorce and you have no right to be upset since you were supportive of mom when she started dating. It's hypocritical."

"Why are not the two of you more upset about this?"

"Annie, daddy is a big boy. He can do whatever he wants."

"What do you two think?" Chloe asked Tony and Jason.

"Well, I think your father is an adult and like your sister said he can make his own decisions. And if they are dating, what can you do about it?" Tony said.

"Ah, see that's the spirit, what can we do?" Annie asked. "Jason?"

"Well, I think your father can make his own decisions and we should support him."

"We'll call that plan B. And your only saying that because your afraid of him." Annie scoffed.

"Your damn right I'm afraid of your father. When he found out about mr relationship with Rachel, he showed me his sniper."

"What does he see in her anyways?"

"What's she like?" Rachel asked.

"She's not his type at all, I mean she's blonde."

Tony started laughing when he received a glare from the four Gibbs girls. "Shut up, Tony." They all said.

"Lizzy, please tell me your not alright with this?"

"I'm not. Trust me when I say that no one wants mom and dad back together more than me and when this all sinks in I'll probably be pissed but until then, calm down."

A few weeks passed and it was finally November 1st. Gibbs was waiting to get the excited phone call from Rachel about her engagement. Gibbs was wondering where the time went when he received a call from the Director to meet her in her office. "Shut the door, Jethro." She said when he got upstairs.

"What's this about, Jen?"

"I just received a phone call from Chloe and Annie's principal. She said that this is the third time in the last two weeks that the two of them have skipped school."

"What? How is that possible? I thought Benny drove them to school every morning. He does and I'm planning on asking about it but I want to confront our daughters about this whole skipping business tonight."

"What time because I want to be there? They have to know that whatever is going on between you and I shouldn't affect their schoolwork and that their behavior is unacceptable."

"I'm glad you and I agree on this, Jethro. Be at the house at eight. We'll confront them then." Jenny said while walking down into the squad room with him.

The elevator opened and Mike Franks stepped off the elevator. "Hey, Probie, I have a bone to pick with you and Red here."

"What's up, Mike?" Jethro asked sitting at his desk.

"What's all this crap I'm hearing about the two of you getting a divorce?"

"Mike, how could you know about that because I never told you?" Gibbs asked.

"Chloe called me a few weeks ago. She was crying and told me what was going on. She also told me about the two of you dating other people. What's wrong with the two of you? You two couldn't be more perfect for each other unless you picked each other out of the yellow pages."

"Mike, people do grow apart." Jenny said.

"Yeah, people but not you two."

Before their conversation could continue, Jason came out of the elevator and rushed over to their section. "Jason, what's the matter?" Gibbs asked.

"Please tell me that you two have heard from Rachel today?"

"Yeah, early this morning. She told me she was going for a run and was going to meet you. She didn't show up?" Gibbs asked.

"Would I be here if she did? Something must have happened to her, sir. Rachel is never late to anything. This isn't like her."

"We'll find her, Jason. Don't worry." Jenny said while panic started to slowly consume her.

"Yeah, she probably just wandered off somewhere. She'll turn up." Gibbs said.

"Who the hell is this and why is he looking for Rachel?" Franks asked while lighting up a cigarette.

Jenny grabbed the cigarette from between his lips and put into Gibbs' almost empty coffee cup. "This is Jason, Mike. He is Rachel's boyfriend."

"Boyfriend? You let your daughter date, Probie? If she was my kid, she wouldn't have dated until I was good and dead."

"Yeah and then you'd be rolling over in your grave, Mike. Besides, knowing my girls, they would find a way to date with or without my permission."

"Yeah, but still a marine. How old are you anyways?" Mike asked Jason.

"I'm thirty four, sir. Rachel has told me a lot about you."

"Yeah, she ain't told me a thing about you. And I would like to know if your good enough for one of my girls and based on the fact that she never mentioned you to me it's not looking good for you."

"Can you two talk about this later because we have visitors." Jenny said looking in the direction of the elevator. "What can NCIS do for the FBI agent Fornell?"

"Actually, Director, the FBI is here to offer NCIS assistance."

"Assistance with what? We have no active cases that require the FBIs help."

"I was driving to the office this morning when I saw this car broken down in the middle of the road. Upon further investigation I saw a young man lying on the ground hurt. You should be familiar with the boy his name is Benny Rodriguez."

"Benny, Chloe's best friend? Is he hurt badly?"

"He's fine, Director. I brought him with me. He has something to tell the two of you. Come on out, Benny."

"Sir, ma'am, I don't know what happened but that van came out of nowhere and hit us. They took Chloe and Annie."

"Who?" Gibbs asked.

"I don't know, sir. They wore masks and I was pretty out of it due to the crash."

"Those bastard probably took Rachel too. I told you something happened to her."

"And we're going to find out, Jason."

"Looks like I came just in time, Probie." Mike said.

"Boss, your going to want to look at this." McGee said.

"Put it on the plasma, McGee."

McGee put the video footage on the plasma and Jenny gasped. There tied up and gagged were three of her daughters. Tears immediately filled her eyes and she looked to Jethro for support. He hugged her for comfort and saw a man with a mask come on the screen inspecting his daughters. "Looks like their drugged, boss." Tony said.

"Thank you for stating the obvious, Probie Junior." Mike said sarcastically.

"Lizzy's not there." Ziva said.

"And that's a bad thing, Ziva?" McGee asked confused.

"No, I mean that someone is kidnapping the daughters of the Director of NCIS and they have not yet attempted to get Lizzy or on en route to wherever they are keeping the other three."

"What's the point, Ziva?" Gibbs asked angrily.

"The point is that she may still be safe and if that's the case we can get to her before they do."

Gibbs immediately picked up his phone and started calling her but Lizzy wasn't picking up her phone. There were days when she would answer his calls no problem but there were days like today were she would be stubborn and refuse to talk to him. Recently she had been angry with him due to his new relationship with Army Colonel Mann. "Jen, do you have your phone?"

"Yeah, here." Gibbs called Lizzy and had McGee record the phone call. When she picked up, he said, "Thank God."

"I'm going to kill mom. Why are you using mom's phone?"

"Because you weren't answering when I called."

"There's a reason for that, dad."

"Lizzy, now is not the time. Where are you right now?"

"I'm at home but not for much longer I'm meeting with a client in about thirty minutes."

"Lizzy, I need you to stay right there until I come and get you."

"Why?"

"Don't argue with me, Elizabeth, you're in danger."

"What are you talking ab... Hang on, dad, someone's at the door."

"No, Lizzy, don't open the door!" Before Lizzy heard him say that, she had opened the door and and saw six men with masks on.

She slammed the door shut and locked it. "Dad, there are men in masks and guns outside the door."

"Lizzy, it's going to be o.k. How many of them were there?"

"Six."

"Did you notice anything distinct about them?"

"No, I slammed the door shut before I got a good look." She let out a scream when they started to break down the door. "They're trying to get in."

"Where's that gun I gave you?"

"In my bedroom."

"Go get it. I'll be there soon."

"Hurry!" Before she could get to her room, the men broke into the apartment and started to grab Lizzy. Lizzy dropped her phone and started screaming. The last thing he heard from Lizzy was "DADDY!"

The screaming stopped and Gibbs yelled into the phone, "Lizzy? Lizzy?"

One of the men in the apartment, ordered his men to take her down to the van when he noticed Lizzy's cell phone open and still on. He picked it up and said, "Good luck finding them." Before he hung up.

Gibbs hung up and looked up at his team in shock. He clutched the phone in his hand and then chucked it at the wall before letting out a scream.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

A/N: O.k. I didn't even realize that the last chapter was similar to Taken until it was pointed out in a review. I've had this idea in my head for a while and I didn't mean for it to sound like Taken. The girls getting kidnapped is important to the plot though.

Chapter 19

There was silence in the squad room and the only sound that could be heard was Gibbs' heavy breathing. "DiNozzo, get out a BOLO on the girls. McGee, you access every security camera that you can until you find something. Ziva, talk to Benny and have him describe the truck to you and then call the building manager where Lizzy and Rachel live, there has to be someone there that saw something." Mike said taking control when he saw that Gibbs was about to lose it.

"I already have a team investigating the crash site, I'll send two more teams to the park and the girls' apartment." Fornell said.

"No, I want to handle this case personally." Gibbs said.

"Gibbs, that is hardly ethically, your daughters have been kidnapped and you're way too emotional right now." Fornell said trying to reason with him.

"The four of them are the daughters of a marine and the Agency Director. It makes it NCIS's jurisdiction."

"Alright, Gibbs, I'll follow your lead on this one."

"Jason, do you know the route that Rachel takes when she goes for her daily run?"

"Yeah, I'll show you guys when we get to the apartment."

"Alright, gear up. McGee, have Abby pick up where you left off. Jen, what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm coming with you." She said getting her gun.

"No, you're not."

"Oh, yes I am."

"Jen-"

"Jethro, I just heard my daughters petrified screams for help, I can't just sit here. I need to be out there looking for them."

Gibbs just sighed but understood. After dropping Benny off at autopsy to be looked over by Ducky, the group split up into different cars. Jason and Fornell in one car, Jenny, Gibbs and Mike in another car, and Tony, Tim, and Ziva in another. This was the fastest Tony had ever driven in his life and yet it felt like he couldn't get there fast enough. His mind was racing a mile a minute and all he could think about was how much he loved Lizzy and how he should have told her that every day from the day he met her. "Tony, we're going to find her." McGee said.

"How do you know that, McGee?" Tony asked with clenched teeth.

"Because they are the daughters of Leroy Jethro Gibbs and he is on the case along with his trusty team."

"Finding her is not what I'm worried about."

"Then what is?" Ziva asked.

"It's in the condition that we find her in. I mean what if this is one of the Director's or Gibbs' enemies, he'll torture her and her sisters. Or what if they're alre-"

"Tony, you can't think like that."

"Until I know otherwise, I have to think like that."

When they got to the girls' apartment, Jenny couldn't help the gasp that escaped her. The living room had been trashed and there was a real struggle in this room. "She went down fighting, just like her parents." Mike said looking at the scene.

"McGee, Ziva witness statements and security cameras. DiNozzo, start bagging and tagging."

Mike and Jenny went into Rachel's room and then Lizzy's room to see if there were any clues in there to what might have happened. While looking around, Mike saw that Jenny was having a tough time holding it together. "Jenny, we're going to find them."

"How do you know, Mike?"

"Because I know you and I know Jethro and I know myself. We get the job done and we won't be settled until it is."

"I just can't stop hearing Lizzy's screams and I can't stop imagining my other daughters' screams and I just keep thinking that they might be-"

Mike hugged her tightly and started telling her that it was going to be o.k. Jenny start to shake and sob. "I want them back, Mike. I won't be able to rest until I do."

"We're going to find them."

McGee was taking the building manager's statement with Ziva when he noticed a bloody cloth inside the man's trash. "What is that?" McGee asked pointing to it.

"What... Oh that's nothing. Now I really must be going." The manager tried to shut the door when Ziva stopped him. She pushed the door open and walked inside. "Hey, you can't come in here without a warrant!"

"Shut up! Four very good friends of mine were just kidnapped and if I find that you had anything to do with, I will kill you." Ziva said. Ziva looked at the cloth and turned to McGee, "Get Gibbs."

While McGee and Ziva were questioning the building manager, the rest of the team finished up in the apartment and moved on to the trail that Rachel takes for her daily run. "You're sure that there was no way she could have changed her route right?" Fornell asked.

"Positive, if she had she would have told me about what time she would have gotten to where we were supposed to meet. This is the only route that would take Rachel about fifteen minutes to meet me and that is how long she said it would take before she would arrive where she and I always meet up before we go for our seven mile run together." Jason lead them down the trail until Gibbs spotted something.

He picked it up and saw it was his daughter's iPhone with the music still blaring. "Looks like you were right, Jason." Gibbs said holding up the phone. Gibbs' phone started ringing. "Yeah, Gibbs."

"Boss, you have to get back to the building. There's something here you need to see." McGee said.

When they got back to the apartment complex, Ziva had already placed the building manager in the back of the car and had bagged the evidence while McGee explained what happened.

"That's good work, McGee. Let's get back to headquarters and we'll regroup. Fornell, can you have everything that your team found brought to NCIS?"

"Already being done."

They drove back to NCIS and placed the suspect into interrogation room one. When they entered the bull pen, Abby ran up to Gibbs and Jenny and hugged them fiercely. "We're going to find them, right?"

"Yeah, Abs, we are." Gibbs looked at the plasma screen and noticed that Lizzy was with her sisters. "McGee, did you manage to trace where this is coming from?"

"No, it's being bounced over just about every server out there. Whoever, this is knows there way around a computer."

"Keep looking. Anything on those BOLOs."

"Not yet, boss." Tony said.

"Um, Gibbs."

"What, Ziva?"

"Well, it's just that there is most likely a reason why your daughters were kidnapped. Can I have a list of everyone that you are enemies with along with the Director."

"That is a very long list, Ziva. It would be easier to give you a list of the people not trying to kill us."

"Ziva's right, Jethro. This could very well be one of our enemies. We also have to take into account that this might be to get back at one of the girls' godparents." Jenny said speaking for the first time.

"Who are their godparents?"

"Mike and my sister are Lizzy's. Ducky and Hetty Lange are Rachel's. Fornell and our friend Evelyn Montgomery are Chloe's. And our friends Tina and Christian Jackson are Annie's."

"You're forgetting about Sammy's godparents: fellow agents Will Decker and Courtney Michaels." Gibbs said.

"Who is Sammy?" McGee asked.

"Our son. He's dead." Jenny said quietly.

"Well it's safe to rule out some of those people like your sister and anyone with children. So who does that leaves us with?" Ziva asked.

"That leaves us with Mike, Hetty, and Decker."

"I'll start making some calls. See what they say." Ziva said.

Gibbs walked over to the elevator with Jenny, Mike and Fornell behind four of them went down to interrogation and observation. Gibbs walked into the interrogation room and looked at the building manager coldly for several minutes without uttering a single word. "Why are you looking at me like that?" the manager asked.

"I'm trying to decide on whether I should snap your neck in half or if I should take my knives and turn you into a human dart board."

"I have nothing to do with what happened to that girl."

"You're the building manager. You kept dodging questions that my agents were asking, you have access to every room in the building, you were there at the time in question, and there was bloody cloths in your office. That makes you an accessory to kidnapping."

"Kidnapping? No way, that guy just said he was going to surprise his girlfriend."

"What guy?"

"Some guy asked me what room his girlfriend lived in. He said he'd been in Iraq and finished his tour early. He wanted to surprise her so I gave him the number of the apartment."

"Then explain the blood."

"I guess the surprise got out of hand and she punched him. I was just cleaning it up."

"What did this guy look like?"

"He was white, with black hair, about medium build and height. That's all I remember about him."

"What was his name?" When the guy didn't answer fast enough, Gibbs slammed his fist on the table and yelled, "NAME!?"

"He said his name was Will Decker."

Gibbs sat quietly for a few minutes before he said, "Do you know who's daughter that asshole kidnapped?"

"No."

"He kidnapped the daughter of the Director of an armed federal agency and me. Enjoy prison."

Gibbs got up and went to Abby's lab. "Tell me you have something, Abs."

"The blood found on the cloth, was two distinct types. One is unknown but the other is a match for both you and the Director. It's Lizzy's blood, Gibbs."


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 20

Gibbs went upstairs with Mike, Jenny, and Fornell and started barking at his team, "Did any of you find anything yet?!"

"Nothing on the BOLOs yet boss."

"McGee?"

"Still trying to trace this, boss. I keep getting bounced from server to server."

"So, this guy knows computers. Decker knew a thing or two about computers." Gibbs said with clenched teeth.

"Jethro, I know what you're thinking and Will couldn't have done this. He's our friend. What would he gain by doing this?" Jenny said.

"I don't know, Jen. Ziva, did you get a hold of Hetty?"

"Yes, and she is contacting everyone she can think of that will help. She also gave me a list of everyone that could potentially want to hurt her by using your daughters. I'm about to contact William Decker."

"Don't bother. I want to personally talk to him." Gibbs said while walking into Jenny's office. Fornell and Gibbs set up a recording and tracking device. "Call him, Jenny."

Jenny called Will and waited for him to pick up with bated breath. "Hello?" Will said.

"Hi, Will, it's Jenny."

"Jenny, who is the Director of NCIS these days?"

"Not so good Will."

"Oh, why is that?"

At this point Jenny had a steady stream of tears coming down her cheeks. Gibbs, noting her distress, took over the talking. "Well, Will, it may have something to do with the fact that all four of our daughters were kidnapped."

"Gibbs, is that you and what do you mean the girls were kidnapped?" Will asked shocked.

"You mean you don't know?"

"Know what? That the girls were kidnapped, you just told me, how could I have known something like that? I'm lying on a beach in Hawaii with my girlfriend."

"So you had nothing to do with it?"

"Gibbs, I just told you I had nothing to do with it. Why would I hurt them, you know that I love all four of them like they were my own. Where did you get this crazy idea that I was involved in something this heinous?"

"The apartment manager of Lizzy and Rachel's building told us that a man named Will Decker showed up and wanted to know what room his girlfriend was in claiming he wanted to surprise her. He described you as the culprit Will."

"Gibbs, you are being played. How could I be in two places at once?"

"I don't know, Will, but I'm going to find out what's going on. But I need your help."

"Name it."

"My team is having a difficult time tracing a video feed that is streaming live. It shows the girls. Do you think you can trace it?"

"Yeah, but it may take me a while."

"How long is a while?"

"I won't be able to give you an actual time until I see what I'm dealing with."

"Alright, thanks, Will. I'll have Agent McGee call you and give you the information."

"Alright, Gibbs. I'll talk to you soon."

"So if it isn't Decker behind this, then who is?" Fornell asked.

"That's a good question."

"Maybe it's like Ziva said, someone from our pasts is coming back to haunt us." Jenny said thinking about her failed op in Paris.

"What did I tell you about loose ends, Probie?"

"To not leave any, Mike. Don't worry, we haven't."

"Then explain what is happening to your girls?"

"I don't know, Mike. I don't know." McGee ran into the room out of breath and was panting heavily. "What is it, McGee?"

"Boss, the kidnapper wants to talk."

"Alright, I'll be down in one second."

"They don't want to talk to you, they want to talk to the Director." Jenny looked Jethro before going down to the bull pen. "Boss, there is one more thing."

"What?"

"When going through the evidence, Abby couldn't find Lizzy's cell phone."

"So, McGee?"

"We think that the kidnappers may have taken it."

"You think, McGee?"

"Well we have strong reason to believe they took it because when we try to trace her cell, we can't get a lock on it."

"Which means what, McGee?"

"It means that they are using a cell phone jamming system."

"How do you know that it is a jamming system and the cell phone hasn't just been turned off?" Fornell asked.

"Because whenever we try to make a call, the phone call doesn't even go through. It's a busy signal that I keep getting, if it was turned off I would at least get her voicemail."

"Can you trace her phone?"

"No, this jamming signal also jams any signal that tries to trace it."

"So what your telling me is that you have nothing?"

"Ummm..." Gibbs passed by him and went downstairs with Mike, McGee, and Fornell following behind him. Jenny had the phone on speaker phone and Gibbs could tell that the voice was distorted by some time of machine.

"So, Director Shepard, I have to ask, if you could only save one of your daughters, which one would you choose?" the kidnapper asked.

"What kind of question is that?" Jenny yelled.

"A relevant one. Which one would you choose?"

Gibbs grabbed the phone and took it off speaker phone. "Hey, asshole, this is Special Agent Gibbs and the fath-"

"The father of the girls I kidnapped. Yes, I know who you are, Agent Gibbs. I was just asking your beautiful wife which one of your daughters she would save if she had to decide between the four. So now I'll ask you, Agent Gibbs, which one would you choose?"

"You don't ask a parent that type of question."

"It's just a simple question."

"There is nothing simple about what you are asking."

"Of course there isn't that's why I'm going to show you a bit of good faith. I'm going to release one of your daughters."

"Which one?"

"Hence the point of the question Agent Gibbs. Which one would you choose?" Gibbs was having a tough time answering the question when the kidnapper said, "Since you're having such a difficult time deciding, I'll decide for you. I'll choose the name at random out of a hat." After a few seconds, he said, "Alright, looks like the daughter you will be getting back will be Chloe."

"Where can we get her?"

"Oh, I'll contact you. I'll talk to you soon, Agent Gibbs." the kidnapper hung up.

"DiNozzo, were you able to get a trace?"

"No, sorry, boss. This guy is good."

After waiting an hour for the kidnapper to call back, Jenny received a call from an unknown number. "McGee, trace it."

"Hello?" Jenny asked.

"Mom. Mom, it's Chloe."

"Chloe, baby, where are you?"

"I don't know. I'm surrounded by a lot of trees but I'm near a road. I'm in a phone booth."

"Are there any street signs?"

"No."

"O.k. Don't worry, we're coming to get you right now. Just stay on the phone with me until we get there."

"O.k."

"Are you hurt?"

"No, but I have a headache."

"That's o.k."

"Boss, I found her." McGee said.

"Where, McGee?"

"A road off of I-95 leading to Alexandria."

"Good work, McGee."

"We're coming, baby. Just stay on the phone with me." Jenny said.

Gibbs drove faster than he had ever driven in his entire life. When he saw the phone booth, if it was even more possible, Gibbs went faster. He screeched to a halt in front of the phone booth. Gibbs, Mike, Fornell, and Jenny jumped out of the car. "Chloe!" Gibbs yelled, running to the phone booth.

"Daddy!" Chloe said jumping into her father's arms.

"Oh, thank God." Gibbs said while hugging her and kissing her forehead.

Chloe saw Jenny and went to her mother and hugged her tightly. Gibbs came up to her daughter and asked, "Chloe, who was it?"

"I don't know."


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: O.k. so I know that the whole kidnapping ordeal causes no Lizzy scenes but I will show within the next few chapters, some scenes of Lizzy and some scenes of Tony and Jeanne. A lot of the last chapter and this chapter will focus on Gibbs but it is important to the story line so bear with me. I'll try to update tomorrow.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 21

The five of them drove to NCIS in silence. Gibbs kept glancing from the rearview mirror to see his wife and daughter. Jenny had not let go of Chloe since hugging her on the side of the road. He needed to get back to NCIS as soon as possible to see if his daughter was alright and to question her on what happened. Upon entering the building, the five of them entered the elevator and went to Jenny's office. Jenny guided her daughter over to the couch and sat her down. Gibbs took out his phone and told Ducky to come upstairs right away with his medical equipment. Gibbs didn't want to question her until Ducky told him that everything was alright with his daughter.

Ducky and Palmer came into the Director's office and smiled at the young girl. "Alright, my dear, let's see how you are." Ducky took out his stethoscope and began to listen to her heart beat but was having a bit of trouble. "You know it would be easier to listen to your heart if you actually let out a breath."

Chloe exhaled and said, "I didn't even know I was holding my breath."

"Your probably still in shock from your ordeal."

"Probably."

Ducky ran a few more tests before taking out a syringe. "What's that for?" Chloe asked fearfully eyeing the needle.

"I need a blood sample to see if you were drugged."

"Can't you just use a urine sample or something."

"If you were drugged, the urine sample would show a negative result at this point due to metabolization. A blood test will give a positive result if you were even after it has metabolized."

"O.k. just be quick." Chloe said holding her mother's hand and looking away from the needle.

She yelped when the needle entered her body. "Sorry, it's been a while since I did this on a living person."

"It's o.k."

After taking the blood, Ducky turned to Jimmy and said, "To Abby, Mr. Palmer."

"Right away, doctor." Jimmy offered Chloe a smile before leaving the room. Ducky wanted to stay behind to read Chloe's mental state when she was questioned by her father.

Jethro sighed before sitting next to his daughter. "Chloe, you know how this works."

"Yeah, you're going to interrogate me."

"No interrogation is for suspects, your a victim."

"So questioning, either way you spin it I still have to relive the ordeal."

Mike couldn't help but chuckle at that. "She's got you there, Probie. Quick as a whip like her mother, right, Madam Director?" Both Jenny and Gibbs glared at Mike while Chloe smiled a little at his comment.

"I know and I'm sorry I have to put you through that but right now your sisters are still in danger and the only way to help them is with the information you give us. So what happened, starting with this morning."

"Well, Annie and I got ready for school just like any other day. Benny came over around 7:20 to take us to school. Along the way we noticed an accident up. Since we had time, Benny decided to take the long way to school so we would avoid getting caught in the traffic jam. This route is off the beaten track and not many people use it any more. We only know about it cause kids at school use it to go and hook up with each other. And no I have never used this road before to hook up with a boy. So we were driving along singing to a song on the radio to annoy Benny, when Benny notices this white van speeding up behind us. He tried to move out of its way but it kept moving with Benny's car. At this point, Benny tried to out run the van but it was to late and the van hit the back of Benny's car. It kept ramming into Benny's car until it hit the car on the side and and the car flipped. I don't know how but I managed to get on the pavement. I guess Annie was in better shape than me cause at one point she was in my line of sight but I couldn't focus on her or answer her when she called my name. The next thing I know, I'm being picked up before I passed out. I then woke up in this warehouse but I was still groggy so I don't remember much, not even how many people there were there. But there was one person that kept coming near us to check to see if we were breathing and I guess to check to see how conscious we were cause at certain points I kept going in and out of consciousness. Thinking back on it now, I think he was drugging us."

"Good, Chloe, but do you remember anything else. Did any of them have tattoos, scars, what did their voice sound like, anything specific about where they were hiding you?"

"I can't remember anything else."

"Chloe, you have to remember something?"

"Jethro, that is enough." Jenny said noticing her daughter's distress and hugging her daughter tightly.

"I'm sorry, daddy, but I just can't remember anything else." Chloe said crying at this point.

"No, baby, it's o.k. You did very well. If you remember anything else just let me know, o.k?"

"O.k." Gibbs smiled and kissed his daughter on the head before hugging her.

"Get some rest. I'll see you soon." Gibbs walked out of the office and motions for Fornell and Mike to follow him. Once the door was closed, Gibbs looked at the two of them and said, "I don't care who is behind this, I want this bastard hung."

"Don't worry, Probie, I'll fashion the noose for you."

"I'm not going to stop you, Jethro." Fornell said with understanding.

Two days later, all of NCIS was on high alert but no one was able to track down the girls or their kidnappers. Hetty had Eric from the L.A. Office working around the clock to help with the investigation. Jenny contacted Chloe's school and let them know that Chloe would be absent while they still searched for Annie and their other daughters. Within the last two days, Jenny had not let Chloe out of her sight. She was afraid that Chloe was still missing and would wake up with this feeling of dread.

She had a gut feeling that this was about La Grenouille and those pictures he sent of her girls. "DiNozzo, get in here." She said over the phone to the agent.

"You wanted to see me, Director." Tony said.

"I have not told Jethro about La Grenouille and I don't want to but I may have to get my daughters back."

"O.k. and what do you need from me?"

"Before I tell Jethro any of this, I need to know if La Grenouille sanctioned this hit and I need you to talk to his daughter and see if he is in the country or is on his way into the country. I'll look into his financials and see if there were any major withdrawals."

"Alright, I'll get on that."

Just then, Agent McGee ran into the room out of breath, "Are you alright, Agent McGee?"

"The kidnappers... sent a... a phone...call. Gibbs is talking... to them... now." The three of them ran downstairs and listened to Gibbs talking to the kidnapper.

"I have to say, using William Decker as an alias was a nice touch." Gibbs said.

"Yes, I thought so."

"Yeah, but all it did was piss me off. Now where are my daughters?"

"Patients, Agent Gibbs, you wouldn't want that temper of yours to get one of your little girls in trouble would you?"

"You sick bastard. You want to hurt someone you come after me like a real man not after defenseless girls."

"I wouldn't exactly call them defenseless, your two oldest fought tooth and nail to try and get away from me. I would imagine that the younger two would have fought back as well but their equilibrium was a bit off."

"Listen and listen good you sick prick, I am going to find you and when I do, I will personally be sending you to hell."

"Well before that happens, I'm going to release another one of your daughters. Rachel is quite fiery like her mother and just as beautiful."

"So where are you going to drop her off?" Gibbs asks sarcastically.

"I'm so glad you asked that, agent Gibbs. I'm sending you a video feed." Just then the plasma showed a Rachel tied up and a masked man in a dingy in the middle of the sea. "Look familiar, Agent Gibbs? If it doesn't ask your wife, she should be very familiar with this view. You have thirty minutes before your daughter is thrown in the water. As I'm given to understand it even someone who is a strong swimmer can only hold their breath underwater for 2 and ½ minutes. Clock is ticking, Agent Gibbs."

"Jenny, what was he talking about?"

"It's the Anacostia, I have a view of it from my office and I look at it every day to clear my head."

"So Rachel and some masked man are in the middle of the Anacostia. Let's move, we only have twenty seven minutes before they throw her in." Gibbs drove as fast as he could and rented a dingy along with his team to get into the middle of the Anacostia. When they got there, they saw the masked man push Rachel into the water before driving away as fast as he could. Gibbs and Tony jumped into the water and were able to get Rachel out of the water. After performing CPR, Rachel coughed up the water in her lungs.

Gibbs drove Rachel back to headquarters. He didn't know how to question her about this and he hated feeling helpless. But that is exactly how he felt. Upon entering the squad room, Gibbs turned to face Rachel, ready to question her about what happened.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 22

Before he could start questioning her, Jenny and Ducky rushed over to the girl. Out of all of his girls, Rachel was the strongest, but after her ordeal and seeing her mother for the first time in three days, Gibbs could only assume that her daughter was overcome with emotion. She ran to her mother and hugged her tightly. He could see her shaking while hugging Jenny. "You're safe now." Jenny whispered to her daughter. "Come on, Ducky is going to examine you to make sure that you're alright."

While watching his daughter be examined, Jethro was quieter than he usually is. Jenny was sitting next to him and he could tell that she was trying to stay strong, but he knew that that was not going to last much longer, especially if Lizzy and Annie are missing for much longer. "Where's Chloe?" Jethro asked Jenny quietly.

"She's playing poker with Mike and Tobias in my office. They're watching over her right now. They said they would call us if something happened." Jenny whispered not taking her eyes off Rachel.

Gibbs was quiet for a moments before saying, "We're going to find Annie and Lizzy and bring them home. I promise."

"I know, Jethro. I trust you."

"Even after putting you through the hell of divorce twice?"

"Yes. If I didn't trust you, I would never let my children be with you."

After the medical exam was over, Rachel was led upstairs by both of her parents and sat at the conference table in her mother's office trying to prepare herself for questioning. "O.k., Rachel, what happened?"

"Where should I start?"

"Start with how that day started, what did you do?"

"I got up at six. I checked and responded to some emails and got my things ready for work. I then got dressed in my sweats for my run. I texted Jason how long it was going to take for me to meet up with him in the park. I left the house around six forty five, and was running through the woods. Next thing I know this white van came up behind me, I started sprinting but they caught up to me. Six of them got out of the van and started chasing me. One of them grabbed me from behind. Another one tried to come at me from the front but I kicked him in the chest with both of my legs. My attacker dropped me and I started running again. The next thing I know is that I'm being grabbed again but this time I felt a prick in my neck. From there on out everything was fuzzy. When I woke up, I can only assume I was in some type of warehouse. Lizzy was next to me but she was out of it and so were Annie and Chloe. I pretended to stay unconscious whenever they would send someone to check on us. Lizzy, at one point woke up and started screaming. I reacted and gave myself away. I guess Annie and Chloe were still out of it cause they didn't say anything but Lizzy said something. She said "Phoenix" "Angel" and "Cross". I have no idea what she meant cause they put a needle in her and she was out of it and they did the same for me. That's all I remember."

"Do you have any idea what Lizzy said could mean?" Fornell asked.

"The only thing I could think of what they mean is that it might be their codenames." Rachel said but she got very quiet.

"What is it, Rachel?" Gibbs noticed his daughter being very quiet.

"Do you have Lizzy's phone?"

"No, it was taken when Lizzy was kidnapped." Jethro said. "Why?"

"I didn't want to say anything, but a while ago Lizzy started receiving nasty and harassing texts and phone calls."

"From who?"

"I don't know. Lizzy didn't say from who but she said it was an ex that just wouldn't take a hint."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Jethro asked through clenched teeth.

"Lizzy begged me not to. She said she was taking care of it and if things got too bad, then she would tell you."

"You still should have said something." Jenny said.

"You see, Probie, this is why you don't let your daughters date." Mike said.

"I'll keep it mind for next time, Mike." Gibbs said sarcastically.

"Alright, enough. This is not helping Lizzy or Annie. Rachel, do you remember his name?"

"Woah I don't even remember what I ate for breakfast three days ago, you think I'm going to remember every guy Lizzy has ever dated?"

"Rachel, this is important." Gibbs said with a sigh.

"I know and I'm trying."

"It's o.k. Just take your time." Fornell said to Rachel. "Gibbs, outside now." Both of them walked out of the Director's office and Fornell glared at Gibbs.

"What the hell, Tobias?"

"Jethro, you have to calm down. Your personal attachment to this case is clouding your judgment. Rachel is a victim here, and getting angry with her won't help."

"How could she not tell me that Lizzy was being harassed. I have a right to know, Tobias. I need to know these things so I can protect my daughters. "What if this was Emily, Tobias, wouldn't you want to know if someone was harassing her?"

"Of course I would, Jethro, but you can't take out on Rachel right now. She needs her father."

Gibbs sighed but nodded his head. "Fine, I won't bring this up again until Lizzy and Annie are found."

"Good, now let's get back."

The two of them walked back into the office and saw Mike hugging Rachel. "Never, thought I would see the day you would be emotional, Mike." Gibbs said.

"This is personal, Probie. These girls are mine just as much as yours."

"Rachel, do you have any pictures of any of Lizzy's boyfriends?" Fornell asked.

"Yeah, some are on my laptop and some are in an album back at the apartment."

"O.k. Mike, Fornell, the two of you take Rachel back to her apartment and get it her laptop and those albums. I'm going to talk to Abby." Gibbs said walking down to Abby's lab and sees her working. "What have you got for me, Abs?"

"Gibbs! Is Rachel o.k.?"

"She's alright, Abby, just a little shocked. What have you got for me?"

"The drug used on both Rachel and Chloe left a residue behind in the bloodstream. It will take a few weeks for the residue to completely leave the body but it degrades quickly. Based on my knowledge and this level of degradation, I believe that the drug used is a new from of Rophyln."

"Roofies. What do you mean by a new form?"

"This one has more anesthetic properties than any other I've ever seen. So I asked Ducky and he said it's used by doctors."


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 23

Tony was having a tough time keeping his emotions in check. He loved Lizzy and now, with the prospect of losing her, he knew that he couldn't live his life without her. He needs her in his life and he'd be lost without her. He vowed that when they found Lizzy, he would make sure to that everyone knew that they were together. He'd even incur the wrath of Leroy Jethro Gibbs for her.

He should have seen that someone was sending Lizzy harassing messages. The last few weeks, Lizzy has been jumpy and became very agitated whenever he questioned her about it. He only assumed it was because Gibbs was dating Colonel Mann now and was still divorcing Jenny. He never imagined that it could be something else.

Tony got off the elevator and entered the hospital's trauma ward. He immediately spotted Jeanne. She ran up to him when she saw him and hugged him. "Tony, what are you doing here? I thought today was your day off?"

"Oh, it is I just wanted to see if you wanted to get some coffee with me?"

"Sure. I have a break coming up in about five minutes."

"O.k. I'll meet you outside."

"See you then." Jeanne said with a seductive smile that did nothing for Tony. For him this was strictly business. He needed to find Lizzy and in light of the new information that had just come out about the drugs, Tony could only assume that Jeanne had something to do with it.

Tony didn't even realize how deep in thought he was when Jeanne came up behind him. "Hey, you ready?"

"Yeah, let's go. So what kind of coffee do you want?"

"A latte."

"Can I have one latte and one cappuccino." Tony tells the vendor.

Once they got their coffees, the two walked around. Jeanne babbled on and on but Tony wasn't paying attention to any of it. "So what about your family, Tony?"

"Oh, well my mother died when I was really young and my dad and I don't get along."

"That's too bad. I get along great with my dad. I wish I could see him more though."

"How often do you see him?"

"Every few months. But I talk to him everyday."

"He coming into the country soon?"

"Why do you want to meet him?"

"Maybe."

"He's coming into the country in a few months. I think in April or May."

Tony nodded before asking, "What do you talk about?"

"Everything, friends, family, coworkers."

"So you've talked about me to him?"

"Yes. Does that scare you?"

"No we're friends. Why should you talking to your father about me scare me?"

Jeanne took a long sip from her coffee and didn't say anything for a while. "I have to get back, my break is almost over." Tony walked her back to the hospital. "Tony, my father taught me a lot over the years. One of the best things he taught me was that nothing should keep you from what you want." With that she walked into the hospital. Tony stood there in shock and couldn't help but wonder, did she just incriminate himself?

After getting the laptop and albums, Mike drove Fornell and Rachel back to NCIS headquarters. "Did you get them?" Gibbs asked the three of them.

"Yeah along with Lizzy's laptop."

"McGee were you able to get those call logs off of Lizzy's cell?"

"Working on it. Whoever did this knew their way around a computer and servers. These are all from an untraceable private number."

"Can you trace it?"

"Working on it, but it's going to take time."

"We don't have time."

"I'll work as fast as I can, boss."

"O.k., Rachel let's look at those photos." Gibbs said.

"O.k. so I got all of the photos from the time that Lizzy was seventeen until now. These are all of the people Lizzy dated in that time. Most of them didn't last more than a month but you never know one of them could have read more into the relationship than Lizzy did. There were about twenty five men in the photos but a few stood out to Gibbs. One was of Lizzy and Tony, or with her and McGee and Jimmy. The other sickened him. There was Lizzy with a big smile on her face with Ari Haswari hugging her from behind.

Before Gibbs could say anything about it, McGee said, "Boss, we're being hacked."

"By who?"

"By the kidnappers. Looks like they're trying to send us a message."

Just then the plasma screen turned on.

"Hello, Special Agent Gibbs." The kidnapper said.

"You, prick. You think that stunt you pulled was going to stop me. Let me tell you something. I won't stop until you're in a body bag."

"I'd be a lot nicer if I were you. You wouldn't want something to happen to Annie or Lizzy, would you?"

"Why'd you take Lizzy's phone?"

"If you have to ask, you already know why. But I want to help you with something. I found something very interesting when looking through Lizzy's texts and calls. Do you know who the main person was that she communicated with?"

"Enlighten me."

"Your senior field agent, Tony DiNozzo. I particularly loved this text I read. Being her father, I won't give you all of the dirty details but it describes what he was going to do to her that night for teasing him with a short skirt and low cut top. Looks like you have a personnel issue Agent Gibbs. I'll let you deal with it. I'll talk to you seen, Agent Gibbs." The plasma went dark and everyone was silent.

Gibbs was seething. He turned and looked at Tony before saying with grit teeth, "Conference room. NOW!" Gibbs stormed into the elevator with Tony following behind him feeling like a boy about to be yelled at by the principal.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 24

Gibbs shut the elevator doors as soon as Tony entered and locked them. For five minutes Gibbs didn't say anything and simply glared at Tony. Tony not being able to take the silence anymore said, "Boss, are you going to say anything?"

"How long?"

"How long what?"

"How long have you been fornicating with my daughter?!"

"Lizzy and I have been together for a little bit over a year."

"And I am just now finding out about this. How dare you? I told you not to pursue her."

"No you told me to never talk about about good looking she is. You never said anything about dating her."

"It was implied!"

"Boss, I know that your upset-"

"Upset!? You think I'm upset?! I'm pissed off, DINOZZO! Do you realize that this could be one of those psychos that you locked up coming back to seek revenge on you and their using my daughters to do it."

"I didn't think of that-"

"That's right you didn't think and now I have to search for my girls for something that could be your fault."

"I'm sorry, boss, I should have said something."

"You should have but you didn't. We wasted three days and now we need to track down even more suspects because you were too incompetent and scared to say anything to me. If anything happens to Lizzy or Annie and if I found that it is one of those wackos that you put away, you will incur my wrath." Gibbs flipped the switch to the elevator and was about to leave the elevator when he turned back to look at Tony and said, "I hope you realize, that when we bring Lizzy back home you and her are over. I'll make sure of that."

"With all do respect, Gibbs, but I'm not going to stop seeing Lizzy just because you don't like that we're together. I love her."

"You love her? DiNozzo, for as long as I've known you, you have never been with a woman for longer than two months, and now I'm supposed to believe that you actually fell in love with someone, much less my daughter? So what was it, DiNozzo, what drove you to pursue Lizzy? Was it because she was a woman that you had not slept with yet or was it the fact that she was the daughter of both of your bosses?"

"It wasn't like that. We started out as friends. I didn't want to fall in love with her but you can't help who you fall in love with. And personally I don't care how you feel about my relationship with your daughter. What happens between me and Lizzy is exactly that, between me and Lizzy. And I'll be damned before I let you break us up just because you don't like the two of us being together." Tony walked out of the elevator and over to his desk. He had forgotten that Mike and Fornell viewed Lizzy like a daughter and they just found out about Lizzy was dating Tony. He felt uncomfortable under their glares but he didn't say anything.

"Alright, we have a whole new batch of suspects that we need to sift through." Gibbs said.

"What suspects?" Ziva asked.

"Anyone that could have a grudge against DiNozzo."

"Boss, that could take days like last time." McGee said.

"Well then you better get started. Where's Rachel and Chloe?" Gibbs asked.

"Upstairs in the Director's office." Fornell said.

Gibbs got up and walked upstairs with Tobias and Mike behind him. Gibbs stormed into the office and glared at Jenny. "How long have you three known?"

"I've known since the relationship started last July and mom and Chloe and pretty much everyone else found out over the summer." Rachel said.

"And I'm just learning about this now? How could you not tell me this, Jen?"

"Why are you getting so upset with me? What did you want me to do, Jethro?"

"When you found about them, you should have called me."

"And what were you going to do? Jump on a plane and force the two of them apart? They're both consenting adults. If they wanted to start a relationship who are we to stand in their way?" Jenny said.

"You've been spending too much time with Ducky. You know what DiNozzo is like, he's a skirt chaser."

"Yeah and so were you when I first met you. I believe when I became your Probie, you were still married to Diane and you still tried to pursue me. And after you had me, you changed for the better."

"She's got you there, Jethro." Fornell said.

"I agree with Gunney on this one. The man is known for relentlessly pursuing women. He'll break her heart." Mike said.

"He hasn't yet, Mike. He loves her and she loves him. That's what should matter, Lizzy's happiness, not your feelings on who she is dating. And when we bring them back, I don't want to hear a peep out of any of you about trying to convince Lizzy to break up with Tony."

"I'm not promising anything." Gibbs said defiantly.

Jenny sighed and said, "Sometimes you are such an immature child, Jethro."

Rachel wasn't really paying attention to all of them and was trying to focus on the pictures in front of her. Chloe was looking at the pictures with her. "Whatever, Jen. Rachel did you come up with anything?"

"Yeah, this one stands out." Rachel said holding up a picture of herself, two men, and Lizzy.

Before they could ask anything, the door to the office opened and Jason walked in. "Rachel, thank god you're o.k." he said.

"Jason!" Rachel said and ran to him and jumped into his arms. They kissed passionately forgetting about everyone in the room. "I thought I was never going to see you again."

"I would have found you. I love you, Rach."

"I love you too."

"Hey can we break up this little love fest." Gibbs said.

"Sorry." Rachel said. She reluctantly pulled away from Jason and walked over to the table. Jason stood behind her and looked at the pictures.

Jason looked at the picture of Rachel, Lizzy and the two men and said, "I remember that prick you were dating. You were using him to try to make me jealous."

"Well it worked didn't it. Before Sean and I broke up, I hooked his cousin up with Lizzy. Lizzy was with Carl for a year."

"Why'd they break up?" Fornell asked.

"He was very possessive of her. He had to know where she was all of the time and he hated it when she would talk to any other men and even if Lizzy was jokingly flirting with a female, he got mad at her for that too."

"Yeah, Lizzy was starting to get really freaked out of him." Jason said.

"Freaked out how?" Gibbs asked.

"She was getting really jumpy and would run to answer her phone whenever it would ring. He would constantly put her down and push her around. Then..." Rachel stopped.

"Then what?"

"I saw him slap her once. But she broke up with him right then and there."

"Yeah and then I beat the crap out of him. We asked Lizzy if he had ever hit her before, she said no. When she said she wouldn't go back to him. We left it alone. But he kept harassing her. Leaving her threatening messages. Finally, I took one of my friends and we told him to leave it alone." Jason said.

"It looked like that worked, Lizzy wasn't getting any more threats but she was still afraid an felt like she was being watched. But it didn't matter cause a few weeks later she was on her way to Paris. If he continued to harass her out of the country, she didn't say anything."

"Why am I just finding out about this now? It's like I don't even know what's going on in my daughter's lives anymore." Gibbs said.

"Dad, Lizzy didn't want you involved. She was scared and didn't want to make matters worse."

"Rachel, you should have told your father. In my experience, a relationship is abusive, it doesn't end until someone is dead." Fornell said.

"I know that, but I have a responsibility to keep my sister's secrets."

"You also have a responsibility as her sister to tell us if your sister is scared or being abused." Jenny said.

"I know but we thought it was over, I never thought that this would start up again." Rachel said with tears forming in her eyes. Jenny hugged her daughter tightly.

"O.k. Rachel, do you remember anything about this guy?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah, he was going to medical school and he had connections."

"Ducky did say that the drugs used on you girls were used by doctors." Jenny said still hugging her daughter.

"What kind of connections?" Mike asked.

"His uncle is the assistant director of the DEA."

"Which means that this bastard has a get out of jail free card." Fornell said.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 25

"Rachel, you said you were dating his cousin. Where can we find Sean?" Jenny asked.

"I haven't talked to Sean in over three years but when we were dating he was working at the D.A.s office as a first year intern."

Gibbs walked downstairs and they all followed behind him. "McGee, I need to pull up the records on Sean Jacobs and Carl Munroe. Munroe is our primary suspect right now."

"Aren't these the nephews of the assistant director of the DEA?" Ziva asked.

"Yes they are. Ziva with me, we're going to question Jacobs."

"What about me, boss?" Tony asked.

"Stay out of the way." Gibbs said walking out of the room with Ziva and Fornell. Mike went upstairs to stay with the Director and the girls.

McGee noticed Tony's distress and said, "Tony, we're going to find her."

"I know that, McGee. It's just Gibbs and I have fought before but never like this. He didn't even head slap me today."

"Tony, he'd upset about what's happening to his daughters and to top it off you are dating his daughter. Considering how protective Gibbs is of his daughters and the fact that you don't have the greatest track record with women, it's no wonder that Gibbs is upset about it, but when he sees how much you and Lizzy love each other, he'll understand and accept it."

"I do love her, McGee. I can't live without her." The two were silent for a long while when Tony said, "McGee, I'm going to marry that girl."

McGee just looked at his friend and smiled. "I know, Tony."

Gibbs, Ziva, and Fornell walked into the District Attorney's office and asked the secretary for Sean Jacobs.

"Mr. Jacobs is in a meeting right now. He should be done in about twenty minutes. I can show you to a waiting area if you want?"

"No, this is important." Gibbs said and started walking to the conference room.

"Wait a minute you can't go in there!"

"Watch me." Gibbs said opening the door to the conference room.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" a man asked.

"Special Agents Gibbs and Fornell and Officer David, NCIS and FBI. We're looking for Sean Jacobs."

"I'm Sean Jacobs." A man said standing up. "What is this about?"

"A series of kidnappings." Fornell said.

"I didn't hurt anyone."

"Why do you automatically assume that your in trouble? Unless you have done something." Gibbs said.

"Excuse me." Jacobs said and walked out of the room. As soon as he was out of the room, Sean started running.

"He's running!" Ziva yelled and the three of them pursued him.

They ran after him and Gibbs jumped on the man's back and they both fell on the ground. "Sean Jacobs, you are under arrest for the kidnappings of Elizabeth, Rachel, Chloe and Anne Gibbs. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these right as they have been read to you?" Gibbs said while cuffing Sean.

The four of them drove back to NCIS and they started questioning Sean, but Sean just kept silent. Ducky, Jenny, Mike, and Tony were in observation while Gibbs and Fornell tried to crack him.

"You think he's involved, doc?" Mike asked.

"Maybe not directly, but he knows something or else he wouldn't have ran."

The two of them looked at Jenny who had been silent ever since Rachel told them about Carl. She looked at the man in interrogation in silence while fiddling with a locket that Jethro gave her three years ago for their wedding anniversary. It held pictures of all five her children from the day they were born.

"Red, you alright?"

"I won't be alright until Lizzy and Annie are back home."

"Probie will find them. You know he will."

"I know, Mike. I just hope it's sooner rather than later."

In the interrogation room, Fornell and Gibbs were having a difficult time cracking this guy until Gibbs said, "I hope you realize you're going to jail for four counts of kidnapping."

"I didn't kidnap the Gibbs sisters."

"If you weren't involved then why'd you run?" Fornell asked.

"I know how it looks-"

"Oh you have no idea how it looks." Gibbs said.

"You know you don't need to go down with your cousin, Carl. Just tell us where to find him and then it'll be over." Fornell said.

"I don't know where he is."

"Have you had contact with him at all in the last week?"

"The last time I had contact with him five days ago. It was around three in the morning. He called me."

"What did he say?" Fornell asked.

"He said that he needed to talk to Lizzy. If he could just talk to her, he would make her understand that they belonged together. I told him to forget her and move on like she had. He asked me what I was talking about and I told him she had a boyfriend. When he said that she would never cheat on him I told that I heard from a reliable source that she was dating someone. Carl hung up and then called me back two hours later. He said he was going to prove to her that they belonged together. And that's all I know."

"Who was this reliable source of yours?"

"A friend from college, Charles Sterling. He used to work for NCIS."

"Did he say how he was going to prove to Lizzy that they belonged together?"

"No but he said he wanted to get away and start fresh."

"Where?"

"He didn't tell me that. Why does it matter?"

"Well, it matters because that bastard cousin of yours is more than likely planning on taking my daughter someplace where she can't be found!" Gibbs yelled and was ready to throttle the man when Tobias pulled him away.

"Gibbs, control yourself or leave the room." Fornell looked back at the suspect.

"Can I go now?"

"No!" Both of them said at the same time.

"Why not?"

"We need you to sit tight for a while, we may have more questions for you." Fornell and Gibbs walked out of the room.

"You shouldn't have held me back, Tobias."

"Gibbs, if you attacked him, he would have walked."

Gibbs furious just walked away and went back into the squad room. "McGee, did you get what I asked for?"

"I did you one better. Not only did I pull their financials, I looked at their phones GPSs for the Munroe has been parked in front of Lizzy's apartment building every night between two and five in the morning for the last five months."

"Did Munroe make a call to Jacobs within the last week?"

"Yeah, five days ago at three in the morning that lasted for twenty minutes. Then another call the same day at five that lasted about forty minutes."

"What about Jacobs?"

"Jacobs is clean, Gibbs. There is nothing in his records that proves he went along with his cousin." Ziva said.

"I wouldn't say nothing." McGee said looking at his computer.

"What did you find, McGee?"

"Jacobs made an unexpected visit to his uncle, Assistant Director Jacobs, the day he received the phone calls from Munroe. According to his uncle's records, he was meant to have lunch with a couple of Senators when his nephew, Sean, showed up and then they went out to lunch together. Pretty long lunch the two of them had, it lasted three hours."

"McGee, can you hack into the security system of the DEA and track Sean Jacobs' movements?"

"Just give me one second... and here we go. Here's something interesting, five minutes before Jacobs left, he went into the supply room and removed a cell phone jammer. He was very cocky, boss, he even signed it out under his name knowing that his uncle would protect him."

"Yeah, but this means he was part of it from the beginning." Gibbs said walking back downstairs. Gibbs stormed back into interrogation and slammed the door shut. "You son of a bitch!" Gibbs grabbed Jacobs and slammed him into the wall.

"What the hell?!"

"You told me you had nothing to do with what happened to my girls and yet I somehow have you getting cell jammers out of the DEA office, where, conveniently, your uncle works as the Deputy Director."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Play it!" Gibbs said to the techs. After watching the video, Gibbs asked, "Care to change your story?"

"Don't have to."

"And why is that?"

Before Jacobs could answer, Fornell walked in and said, "Gibbs, upstairs now."

"Can't you see that I'm busy, Fornell?"

"Gibbs, trust me, you need to come upstairs."

Gibbs let go of Jacobs and walked upstairs with Fornell. "This better be good, Tobias."

Upon entering the squad room, Gibbs saw Mike glaring at a man in his fifties talking to Jenny. "Special Agent Gibbs, this is Deputy Director Lyle Jacobs of the DEA. He is inquiring about his nephew, Sean Jacobs."

"Why are you holding him, Sean has done nothing wrong."

"Deputy Director, were you aware that Sean removed a cell phone jammer from the DEA office five days ago?"

"Yes, he said it was for court. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, two days after that, the daughters of Director Shepard go missing and we are unable to track their phones due to a cell jammer."

"And you think my nephew had something to do with it?"

"Oh we know he did, along with your other nephew, Carl Munroe, the mastermind behind all of this."

"Where is your proof?"

"The facts that your nephew was stalking my daughter and your other nephew took out a cell jammer days before the kidnappings."

"Coincidence."

"I don't believe in coincidences."

"Well good luck convincing a judge of your ludicrous allegations. I'll be taking my nephew now."

"That's not going to happen." Gibbs said.

"Oh and why not?"

"I just told you why."

"Well then get a court order and then he's all yours, but until then he is to remain in my custody."

"Yeah and by the time we get that court order, he'll have conveniently escaped from your custody. Am I right?"

"Director Shepard you should learn to have better control over your subordinates, but from what I've heard about you get under them."

"What did you just say?" Jenny said angrily.

"I don't believe I stuttered."

"Agent DiNozzo and Officer David, please escort Sean Jacobs to a holding cell until further notice. And you can get the hell out of my building." Jenny said to Lyle Jacobs.

"Don't kid yourself into believing that this is over."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"What a narcissistic bastard." Fornell said.

"Not the words I would have chosen to describe him." Mike said.

"O.k. I bought us about twelve hours before Deputy Director Jacobs comes back with a court order for us to release Sean Jacobs into his custody. We have until then to find Lizzy and Annie."

"Boss, another feed is coming from the kidnapper." McGee said.

"Agent Gibbs, I have left you enough bread crumbs to discover my identity. At this point in the game, do you know who I am?"

"Let me guess, Carl Munroe?"

"You are correct, Agent Gibbs." the man removed his mask revealing who he was. "Since you answered correctly, I'm going to give another one of your daughters back to you."

"Let me guess, Annie?"

"For that smart ass answer, I'm going to make it much more difficult for you." He moved the camera over to Annie and showed her lying in an open coffin. She was crying and shaking.

"What the hell is that?"

"You have a choice Agent Gibbs, you choose between your oldest or your youngest. If you choose Annie, Lizzy and I start our lives over away from all distractions. If you choose Lizzy, Annie will be buried alive and you will never find her. So what is your choice?"

"What kind of choice is that?"

"A fair one."

"You sick bastard."

"No need to resort to name calling. I can see that you're upset and I'll let you mull things over for three hours. You better have had a decision made by then."


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 26

"McGee, get me a trace!"

"I'm trying, boss, but this guy is too good."

"There is no way he is doing this on his own, this guys has a medical background. You find out how he is doing this!" Gibbs yelled.

"I might be able to help with that." Abby said coming into the squad room with Ducky and Jimmy.

"Might be able to help, Abs?"

"Jimmy gave me the idea. We're trying to trace the location of the feed, but what if the feed is classified."

"Your point?"

"Take it away, Jimmy."

"Well... ummm... I suggested that we look into the DEA's computer logs see if any computers were in use for special projects that were need to know. When Abby looked into it, there was an entire department that was involved in these types of projects except one, there was a laptop that was checked out by Deputy Director Jacobs for a private purpose four days ago. When we looked at the video feed, he gives the laptop to his nephew, Carl Munroe. When we looked into the computer that was checked out, the code that McGee wasn't able to decrypt was the same as the laptop that was checked out."

"Which means that Deputy Director Jacobs knew what his nephew was planning." Gibbs said.

"With that code I can trace the computer." McGee said and started typing.

"How long will it take to trace?"

"The signal is being bounced from server to server. But I can trace the code with a new software-"

"Hey, can you do it or not?"

"Yeah, but it might take me a while."

"How long?"

"An hour, maybe two." When Gibbs glared at him, McGee said, "I'll make it an hour."

"You do that. Everyone else, get ready to move. Abby, help McGee. Fornell, can you get your team ready."

"They're on standby and waiting for the word."

Thirty minutes later, McGee said, "Yes! Boss, I got a fix on the location."

"Where?"

"The computer trace is coming from a warehouse in Virginia. Boss, the warehouse has an open field behind. I'm sending the coordinates to everyone right now. O.k. so they have been sent and... what the hell?"

"What, McGee?"

"We're being hacked."

"By who?"

"The source is coming from inside the DEA."

"Someone on the inside is helping him."

"That's what it looks like."

"I'm calling SecNav. They'll help us deal with this personnel issue." Jenny said before walking upstairs."

"Boss, a video feed is coming in from Munroe."

"Got it, McGee."

"So Agent Gibbs, you were able to figure out how to track me. Took you long enough." Munroe said on the screen of the plasma.

"Yeah, well better late than never. This ends today."

"Finally something you and I can agree on. You see that, Agent Gibbs?" Munroe said pointing to a strip of land on the ground.

"What about it?"

"This is about to become your daughter, Annie's unmarked grave. Based on the dimensions of the box and the fact that she has been buried for thirty minutes now, I suspect she has less than four hours remaining. Now you have to make a choice. Goodbye, Agent Gibbs."

The video feed stopped and everyone scrambled down to the garage. They ran to their cars and drove faster than any of them ever had. Fornell was on the phone with the Director of the FBI, alerting him of the situation. "My Director is sending teams over to help. We'll cover more ground that way."

"Probie, you realize that this is a distraction so he can get away with Lizzy."

"I know that, Mike. But he won't kill her at least not yet. For the moment she is safe."

Gibbs stepped on the gas pedal and drove to the field. They started scouring every inch of the field for two hours. "We have twenty minutes left!" Gibbs yelled.

"Boss, I found the area." Tony said.

They started digging until they hit a piece of wood. "This is it." They pulled the coffin out and started pulling the nails out of the wood. Annie was lying motionless in the coffin and her breathing was too shallow. "We found her." Gibbs whispered. They took her out of the coffin and Ducky began treating her.

"Jethro, we should take her to the hospital. They can do more for her there."

"Duck, she is the only one that can help us find Lizzy."

"You have to let them treat her before you question her."

"I can't, Duck, I still I have one daughter missing. She needs my help."

"We'll find her."

Gibbs got a call from Abby, "What have you got for me, Abs?"

"Gibbs, Munroe is trying to leave the country. He is getting on a flight to Cape Verde. No extradition."

"How there is a BOLO out on him."

"He's using the DEA's private jet. It is departing from Potomac Airfield in forty five minutes."

"We'll never make it there in time." Fornell said.

"Oh yes we will." They drove to Potomac Airfield and saw a jet getting on the runway. "There it is." Gibbs said.

They got out of the cars and stood in front of the plane. The plane wasn't stopping so they opened fire on the plane. Tony started shooting at the front wheel of the plane and it stopped. "Come out!" Gibbs yelled.

Munroe stepped out with Lizzy right in front of him. He had a knife held to her throat. "Agent Gibbs, if you value your daughter's life, you will let us leave here. She wants to leave with me."

"I don't think so." Gibbs said and shot him straight in the head. As Munroe fell to the ground, the knife he was holding in his hand, nicked Lizzy's throat. She started bleeding when Gibbs ran over to her.

"Dad." Lizzy said feeling woozy from the blood loss.

As Lizzy started falling, Gibbs caught her in his arms. "I got you, Lizzy." He whispered in her ear and kissed her forehead.

"The EMTs are on their way." Fornell said.

Gibbs just nodded. Hours later, both of his daughters were being treated by doctors. Gibbs stepped out of Lizzy's room to check on Annie. He didn't want to confront her just yet on her relationship with Tony. Tony walked into Lizzy's room and she smiled when she saw him. "Hey." Lizzy said. Upon seeing his hesitation to come near her, Lizzy said, "Tony, I'm o.k. you can come near me. You won't hurt me."

Tony sat next to her on the bed and kissed her on the lips sweetly. "I'm so sorry I didn't protect you, Lizzy."

"This wasn't your fault."

"I love you so much. When I almost lost you-"

"Hey, you could never lose me. I love you, Tony." She kissed him on the lips.

"Why didn't you tell me about Munroe?"

"I didn't know how and I thought I could handle it on my own. I didn't want you involved."

"You should have told me." They were silent for a before Tony said, "Your father knows about us."

"I figured as much considering all of the death glares he's giving you."

"What are we going to do?"

"I'll take care of it. Sure he'll be in a pissy mood for a while but he'll get over it. Especially when he sees how much we love each other. Everything will work itself out." Lizzy said.

As soon as Lizzy and Annie were well enough, they left the hospital. Gibbs had not questioned Lizzy about the relationship but he was today. As soon as they got into the apartment, Gibbs turned and looked at his daughter. "Are you going to say something?" Lizzy asked.

"When were you going to tell me that your were dating DiNozzo?"

"I wanted to but you would have freaked out and you would have gone crazy about it."

"You're damn right I would have! Your dating one of my agents not to mentions a known player!"

"Dad, Tony is not like that. You don't know him as well as you think you do."

"And you think you do?"

"I know all I need to know about him. I love him! And don't dare you tell me I can't possibly understand what love is."

"No I believe that you can understand love but did it have to be with one of my agents or could you simply not help yourself?"

"How could you ask me that? It wasn't intentional, it happened. Why can't you accept it?"

"Because."

"That's not a reason."

"I'm your father I don't need one."

"Oh that's original. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not ten anymore. That line doesn't work on me anymore."

"You don't know DiNozzo the way I know him."

"The same could be said for me as well. I love him, daddy, and you need to accept that."

Gibbs walked out of his daughter's apartment and went straight home. He got drunk all night and reported to work early the next morning. He knew Jenny would be in her office catching up on paperwork that she had put off ever since the kidnapping. Like always he didn't knock, he just went right in. "What can I do for you, Jethro?"

"I want DiNozzo transferred to another team." Gibbs said looking Jenny in the eye.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 27

"What are you talking about, Jethro? Tony is your senior field agent, why would you want him reassigned?" Jenny asked confused.

"You know damn well why."

"This is about Tony dating Lizzy, isn't it?" When Gibbs didn't answer her, she said, "Really, Jethro, I know you don't like to share, but I didn't know you could be so childish?"

"Childish? Jen, what the hell were you thinking about letting those two date?"

"What's wrong with Lizzy dating Tony?"

"He's a player, Jen. He'll hurt her. I'm trying to stop that from happening."

"By having him transferred?"

"Yes."

"I think you're forgetting who Lizzy takes after, Jethro. If you send Tony away, Lizzy will never forgive you."

"At least she'll be away from him."

"Yeah, and what's to stop Lizzy from going with Tony if he's transferred?"

"So make DiNozzo an Agent Afloat."

"No."

"No?"

"Yes, Jethro. No. I'm not going to transfer a perfectly good agent just because he is dating our daughter. Jethro, you don't know the extent of their relationship. They do love each other. Just listen to her. We raised her well and Lizzy has a good head on her shoulders, she has good judgement."

"Yeah, her judgement is so terrific that she was dating a psycho." Gibbs scoffed.

"Jethro, that is not her fault that he went fatal attraction on her." Jenny was quiet for a moment before saying, "Now that you've brought it up, I was thinking that maybe the girls need a protection detail."

"You know that they won't be happy about that."

"I know, does that mean you don't think it's a good idea."

"I didn't say that. Their the daughters of the Director of NCIS, they should of protection detail. Make it happen."

Later that night, Tony returned to his apartment and smelled lasagna baking. He went into the kitchen and saw Lizzy with her back to him making a salad. He wasn't surprised that she was here ever since she gave her a key to his apartment and Jason had come back Lizzy had been spending more and more time at his apartment. Not that he was complaining, he liked having Lizzy at his place. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around Lizzy and kissed her neck.

Lizzy smiled and said "Hey, stranger."

"Hello, beautiful. How was your day?"

"Made a seven tier wedding cake today."

"I don't know how you can cook at work all day long and then come home and make a delicious meal every night?"

"I like what I do, Tony. That's why I can do this all day. What about you, how was your day?"

Tony sighed and hugged Lizzy even tighter. "That bad, huh?"

"Yeah."

"What happened?" Lizzy asked.

"Your dad, he's not happy with me right now."

"I hate to tell you this, Tony, but I don't think my father is ever really going to be happy with you ever again."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because you're sleeping with me." Lizzy said with a smile and turned in his arms and gave him a light kiss on the lips. "But I still like you."

"Just like?" Tony said with mock hurt.

"More than like." She said and turned back to make the salad.

"The lasagna smells great."

"Thanks."

"I never did ask you, who got you into cooking?"

"No one really. I just really like it. The first person I told though that I wanted to be a chef was my grandfather. He was always supportive of what any of us wanted to do."

"What grandfather is this?"

"My grandpa Jack. He's my dad's father. He is always supportive."

"What about your other grandparents."

"My grandmother Anne died when my dad was still a teenager. I never knew her. My grandmother Celeste lives in California. She is a very tough cookie. When you meet her, she is going to be your toughest critic. My grandma moved to California after the death of my grandpa Jasper. He worked at the pentagon trying to bring down arms dealers."

"Arms dealers?"

"Yeah."

"What happened to him."

"He died in 1995. People say that he committed suicide. It pretty much killed my mom when she found out."

"Why'd he commit suicide?"

"I honestly don't know."

Tony now understood why Jenny was targeting La Grenouille. It had something to do with her father's death. Tony didn't say anything to Lizzy though, he wanted to find out more before worrying her. As they were sitting down for dinner, Lizzy looked at Tony and said, "What about your grandparents?"

"I never knew either set. They were all dead before I turned five."

"I'm sorry."

"It's o.k."

"Liz, not that I'm not happy that you're here, but why are you here so early."

"I wanted to give Rachel and Jason some privacy."

"Why?"

"Jason proposed to Rachel this morning. They've been busy pursuing physical pursuits all day. I was sick of hearing all of the moans and groans and oh gods."

"Really cause I love it when you make those noises." Tony said with a twinkle in his eyes and a mischievous smile.

"Wow, you have a one-track mind like a moth-"

She was cut off with Tony slamming his lips against hers. Lizzy wrapped her arms around Tony. Tony picked Lizzy up and took her to the bedroom.


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS

Chapter 28

Lizzy woke up early the next morning and saw Tony lying on his back completely in peace. He must have been in a deep slumber on a count of the small trickle of drool at the corner of his mouth. Lizzy couldn't hold the grin back and wiped the drool away. She leaned down to kiss him and whispered, "I love you."

Lizzy went along with her normal daily routine. When she got out of the shower, she noticed a text from her mother asking to meet her at NCIS around four that night. She wondered what it was about. She heard Tony moan in his sleep and she knew he was close to waking up. "Liz?" Tony asked.

"In the bathroom." She came into the bedroom wearing only a t-shirt and panties.

"Hubba hubba." Tony said with a wide grin.

"Get your mind out of the gutter. We don't have time for a morning quickie, you're going to be late if you don't leave in thirty minutes and since you move like a slug in the morning, get your ass up." Lizzy said but he just pulled her down on the bed. "Tony, we don't have time. We'll be late."

"I don't care. I want to look into my girlfriend's eyes as I make love to her." Tony leaned down and kissed her. They spent the next twenty minutes passionately making love to one another.

Ten minutes later, Tony was running out of the door without his shoes or shirt on and with his keys in his mouth. Just as he ran down the hall, he ran back and kissed Lizzy goodbye.

Lizzy got ready for her day and went into work. "Hey, Tessa."

"Hey, Lizzy." Lizzy put on her apron. "Here are the charges for the birthday party for Congressman Bates this weekend."

"Perfect. Looks like we got a pretty good deal. Th Mrs. Bates will be very happy about that."

"Yup. Hey, you got a very interesting visitors yesterday." Tessa said.

"Yeah, who?"

"She didn't leave a name but she was asking a lot of questions about you."

"Me? What did she say?"

"Not much just that she had heard that you were one of the best chefs in the city. She kept looking around and kept asking questions about you of the more personal nature."

"That's weird. Not to mention I am hardly known in the city."

"I don't know what to tell you."

"It could be due to the kidnapping." Lizzy said.

"Maybe. It was just weird."

"Yeah."

"Did she want a caterer or something."

"Didn't say but she said she would be in touch."

"O.k. if she calls, I'll worry about it then."

"Soooo..." Tessa said after they had been quiet for a while.

"Soooo, what?" Lizzy asked.

"You have that I just got laid, relaxed look on your face." Tessa said with a grin.

"Tessa, shhhh."

"I've been meaning to ask you, how is Tony, you know, don't spare any details?"

"You know I don't kiss and tell."

"Girl, whatever, I've been your best friend since I was seven. We're practically blood. You have to tell me."

"No your just going through a dry season right now and your nosey."

Tessa rolled her eyes and said, "Come one tell me."

"He's, I don't know how to describe it. It's like he gets in my head and that's all I can focus on. He just knows what I and what I'm feeling. He takes my needs into consideration."

"Oooh, he's not a selfish lover, that's a good thing."

"Yeah, the best part is afterwards, he looks into my eyes and tells me that he loves me."

"That's so sweet and so cheesy and the same exact time."

Both girls laughed, when they calmed down, Lizzy said, "Yeah it is, but in a good way."

"You really love him, huh?"

"Yeah, I really do."

"Good it's about time. One question left then."

"What?"

"Do you think you can get me Ari's number. He was the finest guy you have ever dated besides Tony of course."

"I would give you Ari's number but he died last year."

"Oh that's so sad."

"Yeah, he was really nice. One of the better guys I dated."

"Yeah, at least you have Tony now."

"Yeah, and hey Tony has a lot of friends, maybe I can have him set you up with someone."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'll ask him and see what he says."

"Thanks, girl."

Around three thirty, Lizzy left work to meet her mom at NCIS at four. She got there a little late but she saw all of her sisters in her mother's office along with her parents. "Hey, what's going on?" Lizzy asked.

"Sit down, Lizzy, we'll tell you in a minute."

"O.k., mom, Lizzy is here. What's going on?" Annie asked.

"Well, considering what happened to you girls, your father and I have decided that you girls need a protection detail."

"NO!" All four girls yelled.


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 29

"You can't do that. Having a protection detail will only cause us to put our lives on hold. We would have no privacy at all." Lizzy said.

"How can I have become an agent if I have a protection detail watching my every move?" Rachel asked.

"Enough, you girls are getting this protection detail!" Gibbs yelled.

They were silent for a long time before Chloe said, "You know, no one ever asked us if it was alright for you to become Director of NCIS even if it changed our entire lives and now you want to take away what little we have left. That's not fair." Chloe stormed out followed quickly by Annie.

"What your father failed to mention was that it wasn't going to be indefinitely. It's only until this entire DEA mess is dealt with."

"What's going on with that?" Lizzy asked.

"I brought it to SecNav's attention and he is dealing with it."

"When will it be over?"

"Considering the nature of the of all of this, it should be over and done with in about two months." Jenny said.

"Do we need to testify?" Rachel asked.

"I'm not sure yet. You two may have to but I really don't want Annie and Chloe to." Lizzy looked down and Jenny said, "Lizzy, if this is going to be too much for you, I'll make sure you won't have to."

"No I want to. I want all of this over."

"Alright then. I promise you that when the trials are over, the protection detail will be dropped."

"O.k."

A few weeks later, Gibbs and Hollis were having dinner down in his basement. "You know we've been dating for a while now and I still have yet met to meet your daughters." Hollis said.

Gibbs choked on his beer and said, "It's a bit early for all of you to meet, don't you think. I mean we've only been dating for about two months."

"I know, it's just if we're going to move forward with each I need to meet your daughters and establish a relationship with them."

"Hollis, no offense but my girls are fiercely loyal to their mother and I think on principle they will not willingly meet you or be nice to you for that matter."

"I can understand that but still I would like to meet them at least."

"Maybe when we've been dating for a few more months." Gibbs said with a shrug.

They were silent for a while before Hollis inquired, "When is your divorce going to be finalized?"

"Hollis, you have to understand, for our girls' sakes we are moving forward with it very slowly. We want them to understand why we're doing it. It's going slowly but it's going to happen. Just be patient."

"Just don't take too long. I don't want to have to constantly share you with your ex."

"Hollis, you have to understand that you are always going to share me with Jenny. She is the mother of my children. After all of the crap I went through, Jenny was the one that healed me, I will always love her for that. She and I will be forever bound and you need to accept that."

"And yet you're divorcing her."

"She's better off without me." Gibbs whispered. "You should go."

"Jethro, I didn't mean-"

"Hollis, please. Just leave, I'll call you tomorrow." Hollis got up and left without a word. Gibbs drank two entire bottles of bourbon that night. He started looking through old albums and watching old movies. The one picture he looked at the longest was one of him and Jenny on their first honeymoon. They had gone to Rio and were able to be themselves for the first time since Paris. They were carefree and had no responsibilities. All they did was drink, relax, and make love all day long. "I'm sorry, Jen." Gibbs said and put all of the photos away.

Christmas was quickly approaching and Lizzy was busier than ever. Lizzy was so busy with work that by the time she would come home from work around two every morning. She was working such long hours that Lizzy opted not to answer her cell phone anymore unless it was her family, a member of her father's team, or one of her coworkers. If clients wanted to get in touch with her, she have them call her at work.

It was around four in the afternoon Saturday December 2nd, Lizzy was working very hard that she didn't even notice someone enter the building until she heard, "Excuse me, I'm looking for Elizabeth Gibbs."

Without turning around, Lizzy said, "You found her. How can I help you?" Lizzy turned to face the woman and saw she was very beautiful with shoulder length brown hair and blue eyes.

"My name is Jeanne Benoit and I need a caterer for a party."


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 30

"O.k. Ms. Ben-"

"Doctor. Dr. Benoit."

"Dr. Benoit. What kind of party is this for?"

"A hospital christmas party. The doctors are throwing it for all of the nurses and the other workers at the party. I heard that you were a great caterer and need are in desperate need for one."

"O.k. what kind of food would you want served?"

"Mainly appetizers but we would like some entrees as well."

"We could serve some tenderloin and salads as entrees and for appetizers we could have quiches and shrimp cocktails."

"It sounds good." Jeanne said dismissively.

"When is the party going to take place?"

"On the twentieth."

"Alright, by next week I'll have a menu ready for you to review. I just need a number so I can call you when I have it all ready."

"Alright here is my cell. Call me when you have everything ready." Jeanne said getting up. She shook Lizzy's hand and walked out. Jeanne took out her phone and started dialing. "Bonjour, Papa." She said.

"Jeanne, how are you?"

"I'm well and you?"

"Busy traveling. I cannot wait until I have the chance to see you again."

"We'll see each other soon." Jeanne said with a smile. "Papa, I can't talk for long I have to get back to work soon but I just wanted to thank you for all of the information you gave me on Elizabeth Shepard."

"No problem, my dear. Just let me know if you need anything else."

"I will, Papa. I love you."

"I love you too, darling." The two hung up.

Jeanne couldn't help the smile from forming on her face. Soon Tony would see that she was better than Lizzy. She couldn't understand what Tony saw in Lizzy. I mean the girl was a nobody that cooked for a living. She was on her way to becoming a very successful doctor. She somehow had to convince Tony of that though.

It was an early Sunday morning when Tony walked into his apartment and found Lizzy lying on the couch. Even though they still weren't living together full time, he still enjoyed it when she stayed over at his place. It was getting to the point where he was ready to ask her if she would move in with him. He knew she had been working long hours and he always told her to go to sleep when she got home but she wanted to stay up to see him. A small sigh escaped her lips and she shifted in her sleep. Tony came up to her and kissed her on the lips. She woke up with a smile on her face and said, "I take it I'm sleeping beauty now, huh?"

"Well it's always been a fantasy of mine."

"Really? What else is a fantasy of yours?"

"With you? Oh that list is quite extensive."

"Really? Why don't you show me then."

Tony picked her up and took her to the bedroom. She couldn't stop the giggle from escaping her when Tony dropped her on the bed.

A week later, Tony was sitting through a sexual harassment video with his coworkers, bored out of his mind. Afterwards, he went to visit Lizzy and couldn't help but notice the man that was giving Lizzy a massage. "Hey, what's going on here?" Tony asked.

"Oh hey, Tony. You know Tessa and Brianne. This is Vick." She said pointing to the man.

"Hi." Tony said. "Liz, can I see you for a moment?"

He kissed her on the lips a bit aggressively, like he was marking his territory. "That was some kiss." Lizzy said slightly out of breath.

"Yeah. So I couldn't help but notice that Vick was molesting you neck there."

"Jealous much Tony." Lizzy said with a slight smile. "You have nothing to be worried about for three major reasons: one, he is an old friend from my childhood, two, I love you too much to hurt you, and three, and I think this is the one you're going to like the most, he's gay."

"Oh, well then it's no problem."

"Chauvinist."

"That's your opinion, but I'm not going to let anyone take you away from me."

"You're going all macho on me now, huh? You have nothing to be worried about. So stop worrying."

"Yeah, but it's true, no red-blooded male can be friends with a woman that looks like you."

"McGee and Jimmy are my friends."

"Yeah, but I know that in the dark recesses of their minds, they wish that they could have sex with you."

"That's ridiculous." Lizzy said with a laugh.

"No it's common knowledge. Men and women can't be friends cause they would want to sleep with each other."

"You're insane you know."

"Yeah, but you still love me."

"For some reason." She kissed him lightly. "So are there any females that I should be worried about coming after you?"

"No." Tony lied, but Lizzy believed him.

"Alright. I know we had plans for tonight, but it's really busy here."

"Don't worry about it. Go work, I'll see you later."

The day of the Christmas party at the hospital finally arrived. Lizzy had stayed up all night making sure everything was perfect. She went to the hospital early the next day to start setting up. She was also going to stay on as a caterer. Jeanne had requested her specifically. Lizzy didn't know why but she just got a bad vibe from her. Something her stomach just didn't sit right. However, unlike her father who always followed his gut, Lizzy just passed it off as nothing.

By three everything was set up for the party. As if on cue, all of the doctors and nurses and staff members that weren't on their daily rounds were down in the lounge for the party. Lizzy didn't see Jeanne anywhere and just figured that she was upstairs looking after patients. As soon as Jeanne arrived, Lizzy was planning on letting the other caterers take care of it. There was no reason for her to be there, the other caterers were more than capable. She also had something planned with Tony tonight and she needed to get home and get ready.

Upstairs in the trauma ward, Jeanne was trying to convince Tony to come down to the party with her. "Come on, Tony, come. It won't be as much fun without you."

"I really can't, Jeanne. I'm pressed for time and I need to get back to work or else I'm going to be stuck there all night and I'll be late for a night with my girlfriend."

Jeanne rolled her eyes. "Come on, Tony. Just for half an hour. Then you can leave. I'm sure your girlfriend won't mind if you're a little late."

Tony sighed but said, "Alright, fine. But just for a little bit. Then I have to go."

"A little while is great. You'll have some fun."

They got downstairs and Tony immediately went to get some food. As soon as he took a bite, he couldn't stop the moan that escaped him. "This food is amazing. Who is the chef in the kitchen?" There was something familiar about the way the food was presented and prepared, but he couldn't place it.

"Do you want to meet her? I believe she is still there. She's a really great cook."

"Yeah, sure."

"Great." Jeanne led Tony over to the caterer. Lizzy had her back turned to them so the two didn't see each other right away. "Lizzy, I want you to meet someone. This is my very good friend, Tony. Tony, this Lizzy, the caterer." The two turned to look at each other and couldn't stop the shock from appearing on their faces.

"Hi." Lizzy said.

"Hi." Tony responded back.


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 31

Jeanne couldn't help the smile that had formed on her face. It was clear that Lizzy had no idea that Tony was working at the hospital. This is just what she needed to pull the two apart. "Oh, Tony, you need to come and meet Dr. Roberts, he's amazing." She dragged Tony away and constantly held his hand or laid her head on his shoulder. Liz finally had enough and left the hospital asking one of the other caterers to cover for her.

When Tony had the chance to talk to her, he found that Liz had already left. He left the hospital and ignored all of his messages from his team and went in search of Liz. He checked his apartment first and found it empty.

He noticed that some of her things were missing as well so she couldn't have gotten far. He drove to her place but the apartment was empty. Tony knew she wouldn't go to her father's house because Lizzy didn't want to prove her father right about their relationship. So that left Tessa's and her mother's. He drove to Tessa's apartment and banged on the door, "Liz, if you're there, please open the door." He banged even more and said, "LIZ, Open The Door!" Tessa opened the door and looked at him angrily.

"Tessa, is she here?"

"Yeah, she is and she doesn't want to talk to you. She's very upset."

"Upset about what?"

"Seriously. You've been sleeping with another woman and you think she has no right to be upset?"

"I'm not sleeping with Jeanne."

"Oh, so it's Jeanne now. Take a hike." Tessa said slamming the door but Tony didn't leave.

He kept banging on the door and only stopped when Lizzy opened the door. He smiled but then frowned when he saw that she had been crying. "Hey."

"Hi." He tried to embrace her but she stopped him. "Tony, don't."

"Liz-"

"What were you doing there, Tony? Who is Dr. Benoit?"

"Nothing. She means nothing to me."

"It didn't seem like nothing. She practically had her claws in you."

"Liz, it's nothing."

"If it is nothing, then tell me what you were doing there."

When Tony couldn't answer her, tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes. "You should go, Tony."

"Go, no. I'm staying here."

"No, Tony. Please leave. There are things I need to figure out and I think you need to too."

"What do I need to figure out?"

"Your life and why there was ever any reason for me to even be apart of it. Until you can come up with some real answers for me, I don't want to see you." She closed the door and slid down the length of the door. She hugged her legs and cried into her knees. Tessa sat next to her and hugged her.

It killed Tony to hear her cry and not be able to comfort her but as much as he hated to admit it, he needed to figure some things out, starting with this assignment. It was no secret that he was attracted to Jeanne but he needed to sort out his feelings before he hurt her or Lizzy even more.

Everyone could see the change in Tony after the break up with Lizzy. He had gone and talked to Jenny about what to tell Lizzy about the assignment but she wasn't much help. So he was back to square one.

Jeanne could tell that Tony and Lizzy were having problems and couldn't help but smirk.

"Hey, Tony, what's wrong?" She asked in a sweet voice.

"Nothing, it's just..."

"Oh, girlfriend problems. I get it. So, what did she do?"

"She didn't do anything. It's my issues. I just don't know what to do."

"Hmm. I don't know what to tell you but I think you need to get your mind off anything serious for a little while."

"Yeah, and what does the good doctor suggest I do?"

"A bunch of us are going to a club tonight after work, you should come."

"I don't know, Jeanne."

"Come on, Tony, you'll have some fun and from where I'm standing, you need it."

"Alright."

"Great."

Around nine, Tony, Jeanne, and a bunch of doctors and nurses went to the club and started having a good time. Tony though drank way more than he should have. He missed Lizzy and it didn't feel right being there without her. By midnight, Tony was ready to leave but was having a difficult time walking do to all of the scotch. "Woah, Tony, you o.k.?"

"No. I don't think I can drive." Tony said.

"Don't worry. We'll get a taxi. Come on."

Jeanne had the cabbie drive them over to her place. When Tony questioned her about it, she simply said she didn't want him to hurt himself.

Tony didn't argue and let Jeanne take his shirt, shoes, and pants off. Before Tony could react, Jeanne kissed him passionately. He was lonely and missed Liz and he just needed someone at that moment so he kissed Jeanne back. He didn't fight back when she led him into her bedroom.


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 32

Tony woke up early the next morning and realized he had no memory of what happened last night. Just bits and pieces of it. He looked around the unfamiliar room and thought it belonged to a woman. He knew instantly that this wasn't Lizzy's room and he heard a sigh next to him. He looked down and saw Jeanne lying naked under the covers next to him. "Shit." Tony said to himself.

He got up quietly and picked up his clothes. He dressed quickly and left the apartment. He felt like shit. Not only because of the massive hangover he had but because of hurt he had not only caused Lizzy but now Jeanne as well. He didn't mean for it to happen, but he needed some sort of comfort and she provided it. But that was short lived and now he felt even worse. He didn't know what to do to make this right.

Tony entered his apartment and saw that there was a message waiting for him. He hit the button and heard Lizzy's voice, "Hi, Tony, I know I overreacted the other day and I think we really need to talk about it. Please give me a call back."

Tony was in shock and felt even worse than before. He was sure that things were over between him and Lizzy and now this message changed everything. He didn't know what to do and decided that he needed some advice. Unfortunately, he didn't know who to turn to for advice. He decided that his best chance of getting some good advice would be to go to McGee and Jimmy. Sure they didn't date many women but the ones they did date, they treated like princesses. He called the two of them and told them it was important. "What's all this about, Tony?" McGee asked when he got there. Jimmy was sitting on the couch drinking some coffee.

"I think I did something really stupid last night."

"No offense, Tony, but we kind of expect that of you." McGee said.

"Thanks." Tony said sarcastically flopping down on the couch next to Jimmy.

"What happened, Tony?" Jimmy asked.

"I may have cheated on Lizzy last night."

"You may have? You mean you're not sure?" McGee asked angrily. Lizzy had become like a sister to him and he didn't want her to get hurt.

"I was really drunk and it was with this doctor from Washington Medical."

"A doctor from Washington Medical? How did you two even meet?" Jimmy asked.

"I've been working there for some extra cash. I've wanted to save up some money so Lizzy and I could get a place together." Tony said lying not wanting to reveal the mission.

"What ward does she work in?"

"Jeanne works in the Trauma ward."

"O.k. first things first. Did you think about the trail?" Jimmy asked.

"The trail?"

"Yeah, you know the trail that will lead Lizzy to know that you cheated."

"I know what the trail is, Palmer. I just didn't think about it."

"Well let's figure it out now. Jeanne works at Washington Medical in the Trauma ward with nurse Jenkins, whose sister works in the Maternity ward, who's friends with Courtney from D.C. Accounting, who's brother is Vick O'Malley, who is friends with Lizzy and that's the trail. Ha I did it." Jimmy said triumphantly.

"How do you know all those people?" Tim asked.

"I used to intern at Washington Medical before I started my internship at NCIS."

"O.k. so you have to stop the trail before Lizzy finds out from someone else but I suggest you tell her before one of them does."

"I don't want to hurt her."

"Tony, be an adult and tell her what you did. Besides she said that you guys needed some space right so that can be considered a break giving you the freedom to pursue other women." Jimmy said.

"I don't think Lizzy is going to see it that way." Tim said.

"O.k. I have to stop this trail from reaching Lizzy." Tony said.

"Yeah, but what are you going to tell her?" Jimmy asked.

"I don't know. But I just can't lose her."

Tony ran around all day trying to stop people from gossiping about what he had done. Finally, it came down to Vick. Vick was working at the catering company that day. He knew that Vick and Lizzy were good friends but maybe if he explained the situation, Vick wouldn't tell Lizzy. "Vick, thank god. Please tell me you didn't tell Lizzy what your sister told you."

"Was I not supposed to?" Vick said sarcastically. He then pointed behind Tony. Tony turned around and saw Lizzy sitting in the corner. She looked sad and pissed at the same time. "Oops." Vick said and left Tony to face the music.

Lizzy got up and left the store. Tony ran after her chased her all the way to her apartment. When Lizzy got up to her apartment, Tessa, McGee, Jimmy, Abby, Ziva, Rachel, and Jason were sitting in the living room talking. They stopped when the two entered the apartment. Lizzy slammed the door shut but Tony opened it and entered the apartment. "Could you guys excuse us?" Tony asked everyone.

They were all getting up when Lizzy said, "No. Sit down you guys. You don't need to get up."

"Guys. Move." Tony said. They all got up and went into Rachel's room so they could hear the conversation.

"Get out." Lizzy said opening the door to the apartment and motioning for him to leave.

"No. No. I want to talk about this."

"Alright. Fine." Lizzy slammed the door and turned on Tony. "How was she?"

"Uh oh." McGee said.

"What?" Tony said.

"Was she good?"

"Don't answer that?" Jason said.

"Come on, Tony you said you wanted to talk about, let's talk about it. How was she?"

"She was... different."

All of the men in the next room groaned and everyone winced when they heard Lizzy hit Tony.

"Lizzy, stop. It was a mistake. She meant nothing to me."

"Obviously she meant enough for you to jeopardize our relationship!" She said throwing the remote control at his head.

Tony ducked and said, "Hey, I didn't think there was a relationship to jeopardize. I thought we had broken up."

"We were on a break."

"For all I know that could have been indefinite."

"You think your off the hook due to a technicality?"

"I'm not trying to get out of anything. I thought our relationship was dead."

"Well I must say that you had one hell of a time at the wake. You know what the sad part about all of this is, you didn't even respect me enough to wait a full week before jumping into bed with another woman. Did you even think about our relationship and decide that it was over before you did it or did you just day what the hell and go for it?"

"Hey, that's not fair. I was drunk and she was a friend."

"Obviously, she's more than a friend. I knew that there was something going on between you two. Just get out. I don't want to see you again." She opened the door for him and motioned for him to leave.

"Lizzy, please."

"I can't, Tony. I just can't." She said.

Tony looked at her sadly and said, "I know you don't want to hear this but I am sorry and I never meant to hurt you. I love you, Lizzy." Lizzy closed the door after he left and started crying. She went into her room and cried for the rest of the night."


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

AN: O.k. so this month I have a lot of things coming up like finals this week and next week and I'll be going away for the last week and the first week of January so I won't have a chance to update any of my stories during those times. Just be patient and I'll update a bunch of times between those days.

Chapter 33

It had been weeks since Tony and Lizzy had broken up. At first, Tony would show up at Lizzy's work and apartment to try and talk to her. That all stopped though when Rachel threatened to castrate him. She even showed him the knife she would use. Tony knew he couldn't get answers from Tessa or Rachel so he would ask his coworkers, Annie, Chloe, and even Jenny how she was. They always told him the same thing, that Lizzy was alright but she was sad. One day, Tony invited Jason, Jimmy, and Tim over to his place one night after work and asked them flat out how to win Lizzy back. "Tony, I've known Lizzy for years, she is more stubborn than both of her parents. You have to let her cool down first and then pursue her."

"I love her, Jason. This is killing me. Not being able to see her, kiss her, hold her."

"You sound like a whipped dog." Jimmy said.

"Yeah I know. God and I promised myself that I would never become one of those guys. I just... I can't even breathe. I need her back in my life."

"When was the last time you told her you loved her, Tony?" Tim asked.

"It had been a while since I said it to her but she knew that I loved her."

"Are you sure. Cause I remember the day you two broke up and she was sure you were cheating on her with Jeanne long before you ever did."

"McGee, I don't need to be reminded of one of the worst days of my life alright, I called you over here to help me get the love of my life back."

"Tony, maybe she's already moved on." Jimmy said.

"What? No she couldn't have. What have you heard?" Tony asked angrily.

"Nothing, it's just that Lizzy is a very beautiful girl, I can't imagine that she would be on the market for very long."

"Jason, please tell me that she isn't dating anyone."

"I don't know what to tell you, man. I know that she has been going on a few blind dates that friends of hers have been setting her up with but they never make it passed the first date. I think she does still love you and is comparing all the guys she's dating to you."

"So what do I do?"

"Again, when was the last time you told her you loved her?" McGee asked.

"A while ago."

"Then maybe you should tell her that."

"Alright, I'm going to go ov-" Tony's phone rang cutting him off. "DiNozzo... I'll be right there." Tony hung up the phone and said, "Let's go, there was a marine that was on Ducky's autopsy table that woke up before Ducky had a chance to do the autopsy."

"Is Dr. Mallard alright?"

"He's fine, Jimmy. Just shaken up, according to Ziva."

While working the case, they found that the marine was the long lost son of Mike Franks. They found out about his son's fiancee and daughter. Gibbs called his daughters to come to NCIS so they could meet the two new members of their family. Before returning to Mexico, Franks asked Jenny and Gibbs to be Amira's godparents. The two agreed, although each a bit reluctant. Things were still strained between them and Franks noticed instantly. "You two are not back to playing grab ass yet?"

"Mike, just let it go." Gibbs said.

"No, Probie, I can't. Red over there is the one for you. After Shannon, I didn't think you would find someone but you did. Someone who is beyond perfect for you. I don't want to lecture you, Gunny, but I will say this, I don't want you to be like me. I chased away every woman that ever loved me, including Liam's mom, it was a decision I regretted for the rest of my life. I don't want you to have those same regrets."

"Mike, I appreciate that, but I need to do this for me."

"Just know that a woman like Jenny Shepard will not be single forever. Another man is going to swoop in when you least expect it and steal her away from you. Remember that. I'll see you around." Mike said getting into the cab with his granddaughter and her mother. When Lizzy got to NCIS, she saw Tony and couldn't even look him in the eye. Even though he had cheated on her, she couldn't help but wonder if she acted too hastily in breaking up with him. Then she chastised herself for feeling like that. It was like she was torn and she didn't know what to do. So, she decided that if Tony wanted, he would have to tell.

Later that night, Lizzy was channel surfing when she heard a faint knock on her door. She got up to answer it and saw Tony standing there. "Hi."

"Hi."

"Can I come in?" Lizzy stepped aside and let him in. "How have you been?"

"Keeping busy, you?"

"Same."

They were quiet for a moment when Tony spoke up again and said, "Lizzy, I'm really sorry."

"I know you are, Tony."

"Then why can't we be together."

"Tony, do you remember the last time you told me that you loved me."

"I told you that everyday."

"Saying it after sex doesn't count. You used to say it to me for no reason at all, up until a few months ago at least. Then, you just stopped. And don't you dare insult me by saying it right now. I think you need to think about what you really want. If it's me, then fine. But if it's her or even someone else, I need to know so I can stop torturing myself and move on with my life. Until you figure out what you want, I don't think we should see each other. Goodbye, Tony." Lizzy showed him the door and let him leave.

As much as Tony hated to admit it, he did have a lot to think about. As much as he did love Lizzy, was he truly ready to be solely committed to one woman, or should he pursue other options like Jeanne?

Less than a week later, Tony had his answer, Paula Cassidy and her entire team were killed by a terrorist. Before she died, Paula told Tony about telling those we loved that we loved them before it was too late. He knew in that moment what he had to do. Driving there seemed like a century long. The second he got there, Tony jumped out of his car and ran to the door. He banged on it urgently until it opened. The woman looked at Tony and waited for him to speak. "I love you." He said before grabbing her face and kissing her passionately.


	34. Chapter 34

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

AN: I just wanted to thank everyone that was reviewing this story and I plan to update this story one more time this weekend. After Wednesday I should be able to update all of my stories a bunch of times so please be patient. I noticed in one of my reviews that I didn't address why Gibbs or Franks didn't kick Tony's ass for cheating on Lizzy. The answer was it was because no one besides that group knew what really happened. They told everyone else that they needed to figure out what they wanted out of life and if they still wanted to be together.

Chapter 34

Tony pulled away from the kiss and looked into her eyes. "I love you, Lizzy. I should have told you that every single day. I'm so-"

Lizzy put a finger up to his lips to stop him. "I love you too, Tony." They resumed kissing and Tony picked up Lizzy. He walked into her apartment still carrying her and closed the door with his foot. He went into her bedroom and layed her down on the bed. Around four in the morning, Tony was looking at Lizzy lying on his chest and couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked. He kissed her forehead and whispered into her ear that he loved her. Tony didn't think that she even heard her due to her slumber but she must have sensed it or something because she snuggled up to him and had a faint smile on her lips. This caused Tony to smile and he fell into a comfortable sleep.

The next morning, Lizzy woke up lying on Tony's chest. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and looked up to see Tony already awake and looking at her. "Good morning." She said sleepily.

"Morning." He said before leaning down and kissed her.

Lizzy broke the kiss before things became too heated and said, "Tony, there are still somethings that we need to discuss."

"I know." he said looking down guiltily.

"Look, Tony, I never wanted to be one of those girls that tells their boyfriends that they can't hang out with somebody or be friends with a woman, but I don't want you to see her ever again."

"I won't I promise you, Liz. I love you and I made a stupid mistake."

"Yeah you did. But it's over now and I just need to know that you will not see her again."

"I promise you, Lizzy, with everything that I am I will never go back to her."

After a moment of silence, Lizzy asked, "What were you doing there anyways?"

"Ask your mother."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just ask her alright. It's something only she can answer." Tony said in a tone that Lizzy knew meant the discussion was over and done with.

"Alright. I'll ask her."

As the week wore on, Lizzy knew that she couldn't put off asking her mother why Tony had to befriend Jeanne. But when she got there, Jenny was very vague and would not give Lizzy any straight answers. Jenny told her daughter that she would answer all of her questions when the time was right, but right now it wasn't. Frustrated with her mother, Lizzy left NCIS in a huff and didn't look back. She was angry with her for putting Tony in this position.

She didn't have much to brood about it though since everyone was on edge about Jenny shooting a suspect late at night. Jenny had been becoming more and more reckless ever since she became the Director of NCIS. Gibbs knew that she was up to something that involved DiNozzo he just didn't know what and he hoped to God that this didn't come back to bite her and Tony in the ass and that it didn't cause Lizzy any pain. Gibbs finally had enough and confronted Jenny about it.

"We need to talk, Jen."

"Come right in, Jethro." she said sarcastically. When Gibbs didn't sit down at the conference table, Jenny took off her glasses and said, "I take it this isn't a social call."

"What the hell, Jen."

"Excuse me?"

"What are you thinking?"

"You're going to have to be more specific."

"What are you using DiNozzo for?"

"That is none of your concern."

"My agent, my concern."

"I believe it says Director on my door and not on yours, Special Agent Gibbs."

"You are really playing that card again, Jen?"

"It is a very good card to play." She said with a smirk.

"Just be careful, Jen, you're not only playing with your reputation but also the reputation and life of a very good agent-"

"Good agent? About seven months ago you wanted Tony transferred to another team."

"Well that was for a personal reason instead of a professional one."

"What is the point you are trying to make, Jethro?" Jenny asked exasperated.

"I'm just saying be careful, you are putting yourself and Tony at risk and if this is something that could potentially hurt our daughter then God help you."

"Didn't know that you were so religious, Jethro?"

"Well some have said that I do take a biblical approach to things." Gibbs said before walking out of Jenny's office.

Jethro eventually found out that Jenny had been chasing after La Grenouille. What he had yet to discover was why?"

Tony heard his phone ringing yet again. He looked at the caller id and saw that it was Jeanne calling him yet again. He sighed and hit the ignore button. He didn't want to hurt Jeanne but she just wasn't getting the hint that he wasn't interested.

He had told her that the only relationship that the two of them could have was as colleagues and as nothing more. He told Jenny all of the information that he had on the Benoits and that he was ready to get out of this assignment as soon as possible. Jenny agreed and asked him to stay on until La Grenouille made his appearance in the states. Then, he would be able to leave the assignment and return to his life with Lizzy.

Those two weeks were quickly coming to a close and Tony was very relieved that his assignment was almost over. He just had to wait until Jenny came back from Paris.


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 35

While Jenny was away in Paris, the MCRT had to deal with a mob bosses' flunkies breaking into the building and trying to steal the only evidence against him. The story was story was so ridiculous that Tony had to tell Lizzy about it when he got back to his apartment. Lizzy started laughing her ass off when she heard the whole story. "That is crazy!" Lizzy said while laughing with tears streaming down her face from laughing so much.

"Yeah, it was." Tony said laughing with her and putting her arm around her shoulders. Tony waited for her to calm down from her laughing fit before asking her, "What did your mom say?"

Lizzy knew he was talking about his assignment that involved Jeanne Benoit. She sighed and replied, "She said that it was need to know and that I didn't need to know. But I'm going to confront her once she comes back from Paris."

"Good, cause keeping this secret is killing me. I don't want any secrets between us and I can't tell you what you need to know only Jenny can."

"Tony, I grew up with parents that are federal agents. They constantly hid things from me due to the high level securities of their jobs. I understand that there are some things due to your job that you can't tell me and that is fine. Just don't shut me out anymore. I can comfort you in other ways without you telling me every aspect of your job and compromising you in any way."

"Comfort me, huh? And what would that entail?"

"Oh this and that like cuddling and kissing and other physical pursuits." She said with a smirk.

Tony grinned and picked her up and took her to the bedroom. "Well I think I need some comfort right now." Lizzy just giggled.

During the week that Jenny was away, Chloe and Annie had been staying with their father. They had been having some fun with each other and it felt like old times but the girls missed their mother and father being together. As the week went and Jenny returned, the girls returned to their normal routine and moved back into their mother's home. However, the two of them could see that something was wrong with their mother. She looked like she was in a constant state of deep thought and if you interrupted her, she would jump like something was about to attack her. "Daddy, I'm telling you something is wrong. I've never seen mom like this." Chloe said to Gibbs who was working on hacking into the CIA with McGee.

"What do you want me to do, Chlo? I'm at work right now, there's nothing I can do. I'll talk to her tomorrow and I'll find out what's going on."

"But, dad, this could be important. Something is wrong. I can feel it in my gut. Something happened while she was in Paris. Please, dad. Go talk to her when she comes into the office tomorrow."

"Alright, Chloe. I will just calm down, baby, and go to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Fine." Chloe said with a sigh and hung up.

When Gibbs put his phone in his pocket, he realized what had Jenny so freaked out. Well, not what exactly but he knew that it had something to do with her ditching protection detail for twenty one hours while she was in Paris. And then with the CIA demanding mandatory polygraph tests it was too convenient to be a coincidence. He didn't want to scare his girls, but they were right, something did happen while Jenny was in Paris and he was going to find out what. Although he had a pretty good idea of what it was concerning.

While McGee and Gibbs were working on the hacking into the CIA, Jenny was going over everything she could on La Grenouille in her office and thinking about her father. She even had Abby running DNA prints off of her father's favorite scotch bottle. She had finally given Tony the o.k. to walk away from the assignment he was working on with Jeanne Benoit. She knew Jethro was right and she couldn't keep using her power to manipulate her agents to settle her own agendas. Not to mention, she was hurting Lizzy every time she sent Tony to pursue another woman.

When Tony got the text that he could quit his job at the hospital, he literally jumped for joy. He ran out to his car and drove to the hospital to put in his notice. On his way up to the trauma ward, he ran into a man and a woman. The woman looked very jittery like she was going through withdrawal.

Tony got upstairs and saw the same man and woman harassing Carly about seeing Devon, a patient that was just brought in after being run over by a cab. Jeanne came over and allowed the two of them ten minutes with Devon. "Tony, do you want to get some coffee?"

"Jeanne, I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"Tony, please."

"Fine."

It was very awkward while the two of them were having coffee but Jeanne kept trying to engage him in conversation. "Tony, what's wrong. You've hardly said a word all night."

"Jeanne, look, I here for one reason and one reason only. I'm putting in my resignation."

"But what about us?"

"There is no us, Jeanne. I love my girlfriend and I won't jeopardize that for anything."

"So you slept with me and now you're dropping me like a five dollar whore?"

"I wish you didn't feel that way. I love Lizzy and she's the one I want, not you. There's no contest between the two of you. I'm sorry."

"So am I." She said before getting up and walking upstairs again. Tony followed her and put in his resignation. As he walked into the elevator, Jeanne stepped in after him and hit the floor for the morgue.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Our grieving couple just made an unexpected visit into the morgue."

The two of them ran into the morgue and were held at gunpoint by the drug dealer, Nick. Nick hit Tony over the head with the gun and he went down. Jeanne only agreed to help them if she helped Tony first. After checking to see how Tony was doing, Jeanne started cutting Devon's body open to remove the cocaine bags. When she finished, Jeanne opens the bag and dumps the contents over the body. Nick was furious and tried to attack Jeanne, but Tony shot him.

Jeanne and Tony got out of the morgue pretty much unscathed but it was still frightening to see Bernie snorting cocaine out of her brother's intestines. As they were walking out of the hospital, a limo stopped right in front of them and Jeanne smiled slyly on Tony. The door opened to reveal none other than Rene Benoit or more commonly known as La Grenouille. The only thought going through Tony's mind at that moment was "Shit!"


	36. Chapter 36

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

AN: O.k. so we are officially done with season 4 of NCIS. I'm wondering how far I should go with this story so let me know in your reviews. Also, I'm not a person that normally asks people to review but I want to reach 100 reviews with this chapter so please help me reach that goal. And now without further ado the latest chapter of My Boss' Daughter.

Chapter 36

Tony was sitting in the limo quietly listening to Jeanne and Rene catch up with one another. When Rene asked him a question, Tony was so lost in thought that he didn't hear him until Jeanne lightly shoved him. "Oh, I'm sorry, what?"

"I asked how you became a professor?"

"How did you know that I'm a professor?"

"Oh I told him." Jeanne said.

"My daughter tells me everything that is going on in her life."

"And that includes you." Jeanne said with a smile. Just then, Jeanne got a page from the office telling her to come back in to sign the death certificate to release the body. "That's the hospital. They need me back to sign for the body. Do you mind?" Jeanne asked looking at her father.

"Of course not." Rene told the driver to turn around.

Once they reached the hospital, Tony jumped out of the car and went over to his trying to convince the Benoits that he had to go and they needed this time together to catch up. Before he could drive away, Rene approached Tony and told him that he should join them for breakfast and that his assistant would drive his car to the restaurant. "Oh no, I really should get going. I hav-"

"I insist, Anthony DiNozzo."

"Alright." Tony said getting out of the car but not before sending Jenny a call from his phone.

As they were driving in the limo, a few car lengths behind them, Tony's car exploded.

Meanwhile:

Ziva arrived at NCIS and noticed that McGee and Gibbs had been there all night and had questioned them about it. Gibbs cuts off her rant by saying, "The CIA ordered the mandatory polygraphs. They're after Jenny."

"Why would they be after her." Gibbs just gave her that look that told her she already knew the answer. "La Grenouille."

Just then Jenny got off the elevator and walked into their squad section. "Tony is in trouble." she said simply.

"And how do you know that?" Gibbs asked.

"The woman that Tony has been seeing is Jeanne Benoit, La Grenouille's daughter."

"He's been on an assignment?" McGee asked.

"We should have seen it. All the times he mysteriously disappeared. It turns out he was telling Lizzy the truth about working late and over time. He was working a case for you." Ziva said hurt that her former partner kept her out of the loop.

"Back up, how do you know that he is in trouble?" Gibbs asked again.

"I just received a phone call from Tony's alias' phone. Tony DiNardo. The number is 209-555-5967."

"DiNardo, that's original." McGee said.

"Can you trace it?" Jenny said impatiently.

"Sure."

"And a live video feed from MTAC?"

"Of course."

"Alright. Let's go then." Gibbs said all of them walking upstairs. Before they reached the doors to MTAC, Lizzy stepped off the elevator looking pissed.

"Mother, we need to talk." Lizzy said angrily.

"Lizzy, now is not the time."

"Well make the time."

"Elizabeth, I don't have time for this and I have an agency to run and an agent to find."

"Wait what agent?" When no one said anything, Lizzy said, "It's not... it's Tony isn't it? I knew it. I knew he was in danger when he was working that assignment that you gave him. What exactly did you have him do?"

"That is none of your business." Jenny said and opening the door to MTAC with her eye scan.

Everyone followed her inside, including Lizzy. "You know you can't be in here." Gibbs said to his daughter.

"Do you really think that I care. Tony is in trouble and I need to know that he is o.k."

McGee started the trace on Tony's cell phone and the traffic cam trace. All of them were looking at Tony's car on the screen and watched it go up in flames. Everyone was in shock and the only noise that could be heard was everyone's heavy breathing and Lizzy whispering the word no over and over again. Tears were coming down her cheeks like a steady stream and Gibbs noticed his daughter's distress. He grabbed her and hugged her tightly and put her head in his chest so she wouldn't have to look any more at the screen.

They all left the room and quietly. Jenny called Rachel and told her to come and get her sister. When Rachel got Lizzy, she asked what happened. "Tony was killed in a bomb explosion." Gibbs said.

"What? How did that happen?"

"Ask your mother." Gibbs said simply looking at Lizzy through the window of Rachel's car. "Take her back to your place. I'll be over there soon to look after you girls."

"Alright." Rachel said getting into the car. Gibbs was devastated when he saw the numb look in his daughter's eyes. It was the same look he had when he found out about Shannon. As much as he didn't condone the relationship between his senior agent and his oldest daughter, he knew that they really loved it each other and that scared him.

As they drove over to the crime scene, Gibbs didn't say one word to Jenny. He was really pissed at her. She not only cost him a good agent, but she cost their daughter her boyfriend.

After taking the body back to NCIS, Ducky determined that the charred body couldn't be Tony since the man in autopsy never had the plague. Ducky runs upstairs and tells Gibbs about the body not belonging to Tony. "If it's not DiNozzo, then where is he?"

Looking into it, Trent Kort walked in and started yelling at them about the importance of Operation Lodestone. He warns them to stay out of his way. Before Gibbs or Jenny could get a word in, Tony steps out of the elevator. "Hey, Kort, someone blew up my car today, was that you?" Tony asked with a cocky smile.

Kort grabbed Tony and was going to punch him when he heard Gibbs say, "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Kort turned around to see Jenny, Gibbs, and his entire team pointing their guns at him.

"You better watch yourself." Kort warns to no one in particular before he leaves.

Gibbs, Tony, and Jenny were upstairs in looking at the video feed. "That was better live." Tony said.

"What happened?"

"He figured out who I was. He must have known for a while." Tony explained everything that happened that morning and throughout the duration of his assignment.

"You weren't supposed to care about her." Jenny said.

"Oh, I'll remember that for next time. Oh, wait there's not going to be a next time."

"What else?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing that you need to know. Now, if you'll excuse me I need to go and see my girlfriend."

"Lizzy saw the feed of the explosion." Jenny said before he could walk out the door.

"What? How did she even get into MTAC?"

"She's our daughter. She has both of our stubborn streaks." Gibbs said.

"Did anyone call her and tell her that I'm alright?"

"No."

"Well why the hell not?"

"Right now that is not our priority. We need to catch La Grenouille." Jenny said.

Tony was so angry that he just walked out of the office.

"What the hell is the matter with you, Jen? Do you not even care about our daughter? Or is getting revenge for whatever bullshit reason all that matters to you?"

"Oh like you cared about our daughter when you ran off to Mexico a year ago?"

"That is complete and utter bull-"

"Regardless of what it is, it is none of your concern."

"None of my concern huh? Well guess what "Director", you made it my business the second you involved one of my agents, the second you involved Lizzy, and the second you involved my wife."

"Oh I'm your wife now? That's why you're divorcing me?" That shut Gibbs up. Jenny went behind her desk and pulled open a drawer. "You want to know why I'm coming after him. Because of this." She showed Gibbs the pictures of all four of their daughters that La Grenouille had sent.

"He sent these?" When Jenny didn't answer, he said, "I'll kill him." He walked out of the office and started barking orders at his team to find La Grenouille. Tony and Ziva searched Jeanne's apartment and found a letter addressed to him. He couldn't open it just yet.

Meanwhile, Gibbs walked into Jenny's house and saw her talking to Rene Benoit. When Jenny pulled out a gun ready to shoot La Grenouille, Gibbs said, "It's not loaded. He took the bullets out before you came here."

"What do you want?" Jenny asked.

"I want protection. Not for myself or for my sons but for my daughter."

"Why should I give your daughter protection when you didn't give mine any consideration when you sent those photos of them." Jenny seethed.

"Let's let bygones be bygones."

Jenny walked over to him and said, "You have the bullets, take the damn gun. Protect yourself and your family."

"You are signing my death warrant."

La Grenouille walked out of the study and left the house. Gibbs said, "You know I saw right through you in your office. You may have gone after La Grenouille because of the threat that he posed to our girls, but it didn't start that way. You believe that he killed your father, don't you?"

"It doesn't matter." she said taking a drink.

Gibbs took the clip out of his pocket and put it on the desk. He walked out of the office and walked back in, "If the gun was loaded and I wasn't here, would you have shot him?"

"We'll never know." Gibbs just sighed before he walked out.

Tony went to Lizzy's apartment while the rest of the team went looking for La Grenouille on his yacht. He knocked on the door and Rachel opened the door. "Oh my God." she said before hugging him. "Are you o.k?"

"I will be once I see Lizzy. Where is she?"

"In her bedroom crying her eyes out."

"I'll be back."

Tony walked into Lizzy's bedroom and saw her lying on the bed with her back to the door. "Rachel, I don't want to talk right now."

"I don't know about you but I don't think I would look very good in her mini skirts. They would make my calfs look fat." Tony said with a grin.

Lizzy turned around and looked at him with her puffy, red, watery eyes. "Tony!" She ran up to him and jumped into his arms. She kissed him deeply. "How are you alive? I saw the video feed."

"It doesn't matter. I love you Lizzy and I'm sorry you had to see that." he kissed her and said, "I'm ready to tell you everything."

"Wouldn't you be compromising your position at NCIS?"

"I don't care. You deserve to know." He started telling her everything about his assignment with Jeanne.


	37. Chapter 37

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

AN: Hey, I'm back. Well at least for a few days. Then, I'm off on vacation for a week. I'm going to try and update this story two more times before I leave. When I come back I will try to update every day but I can't promise anything.

Chapter 37

"It started when your father left and I became the team leader. The Director approached me with a secret assignment. The assignment was to get close to a woman."

"Jeanne."

"Yeah."

"And by get close to, you mean-"

"Romance her."

"I said no."

"Why did my mother want you to get close to Jeanne?" Lizzy said hurt that her mother would do that.

"Jeanne is the daughter of an arms dealer known as Rene Benoit or as he is more commonly known by his codename, La Grenouille."

"Why did she want you to look into him?"

"I'm not sure but I think it has something to do with what happened to your grandfather. You said that he was working at the pentagon tracking down arms dealers before he took a deal and committed suicide right? Maybe La Grenouille was the one who gave him the bribe."

"Maybe, but you said you said no to the assignment, so what happened?"

"I guess La Grenouille realized what was going on and that Jenny was coming after him, so he sent your mother something to rattle her cage."

"What?"

"Pictures of you and your sisters with crosshairs on your heads. Your mother was furious and when I saw those pictures, I got terrified that something would happen to you so I told your mother I would take the job as long as I didn't have to romance Jeanne. I couldn't do that to you, I love you too much to do that to you."

"O.k. so what did she have you do?"

"I went undercover in the mail room of the hospital and established a friendship with Jeanne. I did that really well but Jeanne wanted more. I didn't want her, I wanted you and she wouldn't take no for an answer. I tried several times to walk away from this assignment, but your mother wouldn't let me. I never wanted to keep this all from you but I couldn't tell you without putting you in danger. I just kept thinking about keeping you safe and getting out of this assignment in tact to be with you."

Lizzy was quiet for a long time with Tony rubbing her back. "Liz, say something, anything, please."

"I love you and I'm sorry you were put into this position."

"It's not your fault. I agreed to this assignment when I shouldn't have. If I hadn't then we wouldn't have fought as much as we did this last year."

Lizzy kissed him and said, "Tony, I get that there are times when your job is going to take precedence and that you can't tell me everything that is going on, I just ask for two things."

"Name it."

"1. Don't shut me out and 2. don't take another assignment where you have to romance a beautiful coed."

"Done. Can we get back to kissing now?"

"Absolutely." The two resumed kissing and Tony laid her down on the bed.

Tony woke up the next morning and smiled at the image of Lizzy lying next to him with a small smile on her face. Last night was amazing and it felt good to tell Lizzy everything. She even had him forget about the letter that Jeanne had written. Unfortunately, that state of bliss was over now and he had to face reality. He could only imagine what Gibbs was going to do to him. He was also afraid of what that letter tat Jeanne had written him would say.

When Tony got to work that morning, Tony was the first one in the bullpen. Everyone was treating him differently with what they found out about him. Gibbs just glared at him like if he saw him in a dark alleyway, only one of them was going to get out alive.

That day, the case that they were working was finding a missing newborn. When they found the baby, Tony was sitting next to the fire trying to get warm. He took out the letter that Jeanne had written him from his pocket and looked down at it trying to decide if he should open it or not. He then looked up at his team and the reunited little family and couldn't help but smile. At that moment Tony realized what he wanted. He took the letter and threw it into the fire without opening it.

Tony realized that he wanted Lizzy. He wanted her to be his wife. He wanted her to have his babies. He wanted to be her family. He walked over to his team and looked at Gibbs. Gibbs having watched Tony like a hawk the whole day finally smiled at him.

That weekend, Tony went to his friend's jewelry store. "Hey, Mitchell, you here." Tony yelled.

"Tony." A middle aged man came out from the back room and shook his hand. "What can I do for you?"

"I actually need your help. I've been seeing someone recently and I think it is time that I take the next step with her and marry her."

"Really? Well come over here. These are my top of the line best sellers."

Tony looked at the rings but couldn't picture his Lizzy wearing any of them. "Mitchell, do you have anything more simple and elegant?"

"Alright. I've been saving this for a special customer but who is more special than the man who helped keep my business after it was robbed out of five million dollars." Mitchell pulled out a rack from under the display case that had five rings on it. As Tony went down the line he saw one that caught his eye.

"Mitchell, what about this one?"

"Oh that one is a purple diamond in a princess cut fashion. Excellent quality with white diamonds down the sides. Purple is quite rare. Altogether it is quarter carat."

"How much?"

"Six thousand, but I'll give you a special price, four thousand five hundred."

"Why would you do that?"

"I told you why already."

"Thank you. I'll take it."

"She's a lucky girl."

"No. I'm the lucky one." Tony picked up his package and left. Now he just had to ask Gibbs and Jenny. The thought gave him the chills. How Jason managed to ask them was beyond him.


	38. Chapter 38

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

AN: O.k. I know I said I would try to update twice before Saturday, but life got in the way. Sorry. I'll update again in about a week. Enjoy.

Chapter 38

Tony was thinking about how to ask Lizzy to marry him. He decided to call Jason and ask for his opinion. Jason told to him to ask Jenny and Gibbs before making a move cause they are old fashioned in that sense. He planned to ask the two that weekend but before he could do that, he and the rest of team Gibbs had to work a case on an Army base under the lead of Colonel Hollis Mann. After reviewing the crime scene, Tony was waiting patiently to see what happened inside the Director's office with the Colonel and Gibbs. He knew that the three of them were trained to not show any emotions, but after working with Gibbs for several years, Tony was able to pick up a few of Gibbs' tells.

"I'm gonna go make a phone call." Tony said getting up and walking away from the group to call Lizzy.

"Hello?" She said when picking up the phone.

"Hey, beautiful."

"Hey yourself, stranger. What's going on?"

"Nothing much. But there is something that you might be interested in."

"Really what is that?"

"Does the name Hollis Mann mean anything to you?"

"Tony, what does she have to do with anything?" Lizzy seethed. It was no secret that Hollis and Lizzy. Just last week the two of them had gotten into a screaming match that had upset the neighbors. It would have gotten physical if Gibbs and Jason didn't pull them apart.

"Well, she's here now leading a join Army CID and NCIS investigation."

"I'm coming over right now. I have to make sure my mom is alright. I'll see you soon."

Lizzy reached NCIS in record time. She made her way up to the squad room and saw Tony, Ziva, and McGee at their desks. "Hey, babe. That was really fast. Were you in the car when I was talking to you?"

"No I just drove really fast." She said placing a kiss on his lips. "Where's my dad and the Colonel?" Lizzy spat out Hollis' title like it was poisoned.

"They went to talk to a witness. They should be back soon." McGee said.

"Alright. I'm going to go check on the Director. I'll see you three later." Lizzy walked upstairs and entered her mother's office after smiling at Cynthia. Her mother's back was to her and she was looking out at the harbor. "Mom, you o.k?"

"Lizzy? What are you doing here?" Jenny asked quietly.

"I came to check on you. Tony told me that Hollis was leading this investigation and I just wanted to make sure that you were alright." Lizzy said walking over to her mother.

"Thank you, sweetheart. And I'm fine. Why shouldn't I be?"

"Mom, it's just me. If you're not alright, just let me know."

"I'm o.k., really, I am."

"Alright. Hey, I was thinking. Me, you, and my sisters haven't really spent much together lately. Maybe we should have a girl's day this weekend."

"That sounds great actually. I really miss the four of you." Jenny said hugging her daughter.

"Well we miss you too." Lizzy said, hugging her back.

The two of them sat on the couch and Jenny said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you, you're aunt Heather and Uncle Ryan are coming for Christmas with your cousins and grandma."

"That's great. I haven't seen any of them in a long time."

"Yeah, it will be good to have them close during the holidays this year."

"Does grandma know about you and dad getting divorced again?"

"She knows about it."

"I'm shocked she didn't come out here and kick him in the balls like last time."

Jenny couldn't help but chuckle at the memory. "That was pretty memorable. But I told your grandmother to be on her best behavior."

"Are all of them going to be staying at the house?"

"No. your grandmother rented some rooms at the Four Seasons."

"I just hope this year grandma doesn't get drunk and have sex with Ducky again. That was a Christmas memory I wish I could forget."

"Believe me. We all wish we could. Don't you have to get back to work?"

"No. I'm staying here with you today. I want to make sure that you're alright with this investigation."

"Lizzy, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can, but I want to be here for you."

Jenny hugged her daughter again and said, "Thank you." She got up from the couch and went over to her desk to do some paperwork while Lizzy texted Tessa with her phone to see what was going on at work.

A little while later, the door opened and Gibbs and Hollis entered. Gibbs smiled at his daughter who returned it but she glared at Hollis. "Could you excuse us?" Hollis said tightly to Lizzy.

"From my mother's office? Hell no." Lizzy said looking at her text messages.

Jenny gave Jethro a look, of she better watch it or else. "Lizzy, could you please go to the squad room. We will finish up later."

Lizzy sighed but got up and left the room but not before sending Hollis one more glare.

She went into the squad room and saw Tony sitting at his desk. Lizzy smirked and sat in his lap. "Liz, what are you doing?" He asked with a smile.

"My mom kicked me out of her office."

"And she told you to come and sit in my lap?"

"No. I decided to do that on my own."

"Really, well I appreciate that." Tony said with a smile before kissing her on the lips.

Lizzy looked up and said, "I think we have an audience."

Tony looked over her shoulder and saw half of the floor was looking at them. "Nothing to see here people. Go about your business."

"Oh I wanted to ask you something, what are you doing for Christmas this year?"

"Nothing really. No plans so far. Why?"

"Well, my entire family is getting together and I really want you to meet them all."

"And by your whole family, you mean..."

"My aunt, uncle, cousins, and grandmother."

"What about your grandfather?"

"He's busy, he's meeting a friend that came for a visit in Stillwater."

"Liz, I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Tony, don't worry. They're going to love you. And Ducky and Ziva and Abby will be there too."

"No McGee or Palmer?"

"They're visiting family."

"Alright, I'll be there."

"Really. Thank you." Lizzy hugged him tightly.

"So how many cousins do you have?"

"My aunt Heather and uncle Ryan had three boys and two girls. Casey and Jordan are still in college. Neal, Peter, and Ariana are married with a few kids of their own."

"Is your dad going to be there?"

"I have no idea. He was there last year but he left early."

Before they could talk about it anymore, Gibbs and Hollis walked out of the Director's office and went downstairs to interrogation motioning for Ziva and Tony to follow. Lizzy got up to head upstairs. What she didn't expect to see was her mother laughing. "Mom, did you take crazy pills this morning cause you're laughing like a lunatic?"

"No. it's just the material witness that needs to be interviewed."

"What about him?"

"She is Stephanie Flynn."

"Dad's ex?"

"Yeah. Now you see why it's so funny." Jenny continued laughing and Lizzy couldn't help but laugh too.

"I should really apologize to her for the hell I put her through when she was married to dad."

"I think you should. Especially, since I told you to do that years ago."

"If you thought I was going to apologize to her back then. Then, you're nuts. She was the symbol of your divorce from daddy the first time around."

Meanwhile Hollis and Gibbs were in the elevator talking about Shannon and Kelly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"They're dead. End of story. I've put it behind me."

"Have you, Jethro?"

Gibbs didn't answer and flipped the switch to the elevator but Hollis flipped it back. "O.k. you've put them behind you but have you also put Jenny behind you?"

"What kind of question is that, Hollis? I'm divorcing her."

"But are you over her?"

"Hollis, you have to understand that Jenny will always be special to me. She and I are forever bound. There is nothing you can do to change that."

"Well I guess that explains why your girls can't stand me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Every time I walk into a room, they glare at me and it's because you have given them the false hope that there is still a miniscule chance that you can get back together with their mother. You need to choose, Jethro."

"Are you asking me to choose between my daughters and you?"

"No. I'm asking you to choose between Jenny and me."

At the same time Jenny, Lizzy, and Stephanie were upstairs in the Director's office. The two exes were discussing if Gibbs could remain professional during this investigation. After their conversation, the three walked downstairs and saw Gibbs and Hollis discussing the case.

After a very tense moment between the three women and Gibbs, Jenny and Lizzy walked Stephanie to her car. "Mom, can you give me a few moments with Stephanie?"

"Sure. Ms. Flynn. Nice to see you again."

"Same to you." Jenny walked away.

After an awkward silence, Lizzy said, "Stephanie, I just wanted to apologize to you. I blamed you for my parents divorce when it wasn't your fault."

"It's o.k. I understood that in your eyes I was the other woman. And between you and me, your parents belong together."

"I wish they could see that."

"They will. Things won't last between Jethro and the Colonel. Your father still loves your mother just like he did back when I was married to him."

"Thanks. I hope you're right."

The case was eventually closed and Tony called Jenny and asked to meet him at Jethro's house. Driving there, seemed to be the longest drive in Tony's life. He didn't know what they would say when he asked them for their permission to marry Lizzy.


	39. Chapter 39

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 39

Tony got to Gibbs' house and turned off the engine. He leaned his head against the steering wheel and took a deep, calming breath. He was nervous beyond belief. He has faced psychos, criminals, wackos, and even the plague, but he would face all of that all over again if he didn't have to face Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He didn't care what either one of his bosses said though, if Lizzy would have him, he would marry her, with or without their blessings. He just hoped they said. He didn't want to cause more problems with the Gibbs family. They had enough dysfunction to last them a lifetime.

Tony took another deep breath before he got out of the car and made his way into the house. He went into the basement and saw Gibbs working on his boat.

"Hey, boss, Jenny's not here yet?"

"Not yet, DiNozzo. She'll be here any minute. What's this about?"

"I'd rather wait until Jenny gets here."

"Alright. Suit yourself." Gibbs went back to sanding his boat while DiNozzo sat on the steps. The two of them waited in silence until they heard Jenny's car pull into the driveway. Gibbs took out a clean jar and filled it with bourbon. Jenny walked down the stairs wearing jeans and a tank top. This was the most casual Tony had ever seen Jenny look. She smiled at him before taking the bourbon from Gibbs. Jenny took a sip and looked at Tony expectantly.

"Are you going to speak, Tony, or did you call us over here for a staring contest?"

"Oh, um, right. Well, I wanted to ask you two something."

"Spit it out, DiNozzo." Gibbs said. He had a feeling what Tony was going to ask and Gibbs was having a difficult time dealing with it.

"O.k. I wanted your blessings."

"On?" Jenny asked coyly.

"On marrying Lizzy. I love her and want to spend the rest of my life with her."

"You have my blessing, Tony. Just don't hurt her." Jenny said before giving him a hug.

"I won't." He pulled away from the embrace and looked at Gibbs. "Gibbs, what do you think?"

"Do you know what the track record of marriage is for a cop, DiNozzo? Not good."

"You should know. Jethro, stop being difficult." Jenny said.

"If you hurt her, they won't be able to find your body, and that is a promise."

"I understand."

"Do you have a ring?" Jenny asked.

"Yeah, right here." He opened the box and Jenny smiled.

"A purple diamond." Jenny said.

"Lizzy's favorite color." Gibbs whispered.

"When do you plan to ask her?"

"Christmas. I want it to look like I'm giving her a present and then surprise her."

"Lizzy will love that. Just be yourself. Don't worry, she's going to say yes."

"I hope so. I have to go. I'm meeting Lizzy for dinner."

As soon as Tony got outside, he breathed a sigh of relief. Now that that was over, he had to ask Lizzy. He just hoped she said yes.

"Wow, Tony asking us for permission. I have to say I'm a little shocked. I didn't think Tony would ask us." Jenny said.

"Yeah neither did I. Course I also never thought I would be getting DiNozzo as a son-in-law."

"How do you feel about all of this, Jethro? Really, tell me."

"I don't know how I feel, Jen. I was looking at pictures of her and Rachel when they were just babies and I can't help but think back to when they needed me all the time. Then, they turned ten and they wanted nothing to do with me anymore. I became a spectator in their lives. Chloe and Annie still let me help out with their problems every once in a while and I just can't help but think that now with the two of them getting married, I won't always be there to protect them. And... what's that look for?"

"Nothing. It's just nice to have you open up to me like this. You haven't since the accident."

"Yeah, you were the only one of my wives that could get me to spill my guts with just a look or a touch." Gibbs said just then realizing how close they were standing to each other. Gibbs took his bourbon and took a big gulp of it before looking Jenny directly in her eyes. Gibbs couldn't deny that he missed her and that she looked good. Her perfume was driving him crazy. Gibbs grabbed her upper arms in his calloused hands and brought her lips to his. At first Jenny didn't respond, but after a few moments, the kiss began to get heated.

Gibbs let go of her upper arms and wrapped her arms and wrapped his hands around her waist, while Jenny wrapped her arms around his neck.

After a few more kisses, Gibbs started kissing along her jaw. At that moment, Jenny realized what she was doing and pushed him away. "Jethro, we can't do this again. We're getting divorced and you're with Hollis."

"We broke up."

"Oh, so I'm just some booty call for you. You're on the rebound and you're using me to get laid."

"How could you think that? If anything, Hollis was my rebound for our relationship." Gibbs walked up to her and said, "Please, Jenny."

At that moment, Jenny didn't care about image. All she cared about was being with the man she loved that night. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, "Take me to bed." Gibbs didn't have to be told twice, he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.


	40. Chapter 40

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 40

After a month of having the blessings of Lizzy's parents, Tony found himself shopping with Lizzy. There was still three weeks until Christmas, but Lizzy was determined to finish her Christmas shopping that day. They had already bought gifts for Gibbs' team, Jenny, Lizzy's sisters, female cousins, and grandmother. Now they only had to buy gifts for all of the men, kids, and Lizzy's grandfather. Tony was very quiet throughout the trip and only giving his input when asked.

They were in Calvin Klein looking at sweaters for her grandfather, when Tony said, "I hope I don't just get a sweater."

Lizzy smirked at him and said, "Don't worry, Tony, you're really going to like your gift."

"Does it involve skimpy pieces of lace?"

"You'll have to wait and see."

"Liz, that's not fair." Tony groaned.

"Patience is a virtue."

"Not right now it isn't." Lizzy couldn't help but smirk. "Alright you win. Keep your secrets, but now I'm not going to tell you what I got you for Christmas."

"Unlike you, Tony, I have patience thanks to having three younger sisters growing up. I can wait until Christmas."

"So what are your getting for your staff?"

"We cooked them dinner, had a spa day at the office, and gave the gift cards to their favorite stores."

"Why did you all of you celebrate Christmas with your staff so early?"

"Well you know Christmas is our busy season so it was now or after New Years."

"Ah. Lucky them."

"Yup."

"So you never did tell me what I should expect with your family?"

"Oh well, my aunt and uncle are really nice. You'll like them. My uncle Ryan is a surgeon while my aunt Heather is a housewife. She is my mom's older sister. She met her husband when she was volunteering at the hospital while in college. They got marred a month after she graduated. They had Peter and Neal first. Peter is a plastic surgeon like his father and is married with three girls: Angie, Lauren, and Tina. His wife Maria is a beautician. Neal is lawyer in the D.A.'s office in Los Angeles. His wife Karina is a nurse and they have two boys: Mark and Henry. Then there's Ariana, she's a PR agent. Her husband Eli is a businessman and they have a three year old daughter named Amber. She's my goddaughter.

"Wow, you two must be close then."

"Yup. Especially when we were younger. We would tell each other everything. She was actually the one to convince me to go and study cooking abroad."

"Oh so I should thank her for my own personal chef."

"Yeah, you should." She said with a giggle.

"What about your other two cousins?"

"Jordan and Casey are still in college. Jordan is planning on joining the air force after graduating from USC. Casey goes to Carnegie Mellon University. She wants to be a singer and actress. She loves the stage. She was out little show doll when she was five. She's a junior in college while Neal is a senior."

"Damn, almost all of the men in your family have been in the military."

Yeah, my family is very patriotic."

"What about your grandmother?"

"Ah grandma Celeste, I'd wear a diaper if I were you. She likes to intimidate people she doesn't know. She and my dad hate each other."

"Why?"

"Well, from the very beginning, my grandmother didn't approve of my father. Then when Sammy died and my parents got a divorce, my grandmother came back to D.C. And kicked him in the balls. And I mean that literally, with a spiked-toe stiletto."

"Ouch." Tony inwardly winced and thought to himself to never piss that woman off.

"Yeah, my dad couldn't walk right for a week."

"Maybe that's why Jenny can walk so well in five inch heels, it's genetic."

"Probably." Lizzy said with a laugh. "Oh my God, I need to get this for Amber!" Lizzy said holding up a yellow sundress fit for a toddler. "She's going to look so cute in this." Tony couldn't help but smile. He loved seeing Lizzy this excited. He couldn't wait until Christmas. They went back to Tony's apartment that night an wrapped all the presents. While wrapping, Tony asked, "So when is your family flying in?"

"In two weeks. They're flight is on the twentieth."

"Where are they staying?"

"The four seasons."

"Nice hotel."

"Yeah, it's the same hotel Jason and Rachel are going to have their wedding."

"Really did they finally decide on a date?"

"Yeah, January 1, 2007. Getting them to decide on a date was like pulling teeth." Tony couldn't help but chuckle. "I think this while wedding is bringing out Rachel's inner girl."

"What do you mean?"

"It's going to be like a winter wonderland. The brides maids have silver dresses. Everything is going to be white, silver, or blue. I lost track of how many flower girls, ring bearers, and candle holders there are going to be. Honestly, she's becoming a bit of bridezilla."

"Really? I'm having a tough time picturing Rachel as a bridezilla."

"So did I until it happened, but it is her wedding so I guess she's allowed to go nuts."

"Yeah, Hey, Liz, do you ever think about the future?"

"Sure. I think about having babies and wonderful husband along with my career. What do you think about?"

"The same thing."

"Really, I didn't know you wanted a husband, Tony?"

"What? No. No. A beautiful, sexy, gorgeous wife."

"That'll be really difficult to find."

"Not really."

"And why not?"

"Because I found someone who could easily fit that profile."

"Aww, Tony. That is one of the most beautiful and corniest things anyone has ever said to me. I love you."

"I love you." Tony said kissing her.

It was the 22nd of December and Lizzy was working late like she always did this time of year. She was trying to juggle work, time with him, and time with her visiting family. He knew it was beginning to take its toll on her so he would give her a rub down every night, cook dinner, and help out with anything else that he could like making an emergency delivery to one of Lizzy's clients.

It was already nine at night and Lizzy had called to tell Tony not to wait up for her. However, Tony was going to be on the couch like he was every night that Lizzy worked late. He was about to watch another movie when there was a knock on the door. Tony got up to answer it and saw a woman in her late sixties, early seventies standing in his doorway. "May I help you?"

"Yes. I want to meet the young man that has my granddaughter so smitten." Tony looked the women up and down and knew that this was Celeste Shepard. Lizzy was right, she knows how to intimidate people with only a look.


	41. Chapter 41

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

AN: I know it's been a while since I updated but life got in the way.

Chapter 41

Tony gulped and didn't know what to do. "You do realize it is rude to leave someone standing in the doorway when they come for a visit." It wasn't a question, it was a statement and Tony knew it. Tony moved aside silently and let the older woman in. The woman came in and surveyed his living conditions. Tony could see the scowl on her face when she skeptically looked around the apartment. Tony knew instantly why she was here; she was here to see if he was good enough for Lizzy and judging by the look on her face, so far she didn't approve.

"So, umm, Mrs. Shepard, no to be rude but how did you know where I lived?"

"You federal agents are not the only ones with a whole database filled with sources, I have my own as well."

"Oh. Can I get you a drink?"

"No, thank you." the woman said primly while unbuttoning her coat and placing it on the couch. She sat on the couch and looked at him expectantly, as if she was waiting for him to prove himself to her about his worth.

"Alright." Tony got a drink for himself. Suddenly his throat was very dry and he needed water. While getting his drink, he heard a throat being cleared behind him.

"You do realize it is incredibly rude to leave a guest on their own for an extended amount of time?" Tony couldn't help but think how difficult this woman is and how his boss has not managed to strangle her.

"I apologize, ma'am. Please." He led her back to the couch and sat down with her. "So, Mrs. Shepard, you said you wanted to talk to me about something. What did you want to discuss?" Tony said politely.

"I want to know what first attracted you to Elizabeth?"

"Well, umm, when I first met her, I just couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked." Celeste snorted when he said that.

"So you only cared about her because she is beautiful. She is so much more than that."

"I know that, ma'am, and I learned that. She and I didn't interact much until she helped me think outside the box on a case. At that point, she and I became friends. We started dating a couple of weeks afterwards."

"And what it has been paradise ever since then?"

"Not exactly. Our relationship had its problems but we worked through them with each other."

"What sort of problems?"

"No offense ma'am, but that is between Liz and myself. We worked through them and I don't feel the need to rehash bygones."

"I see that you use nicknames just like Jethro does. He started calling Elizabeth Lizzy just to spite me knowing how much I detest that nickname, considering that I named her and her name shouldn't have been tampered with."

"Ma'am, I call her Liz because it is something that no one else calls her and I want to be set apart. Think of it as a term of endearment."

"Alright then, tell me about yourself."

"Alright, my father is a businessman in New York, where I lived until I went to Ohio State. Right out of college I joined the philadelphia police department followed by Peoria and then Baltimore. That's where I met Gibbs and he offered me a job on his team at NCIS."

"You call Jethro Gibbs even though you are dating Elizabeth?"

"Well it's a habit."

"What about your mother?"

"My mother died when I was eight."

"I'm sorry. You said you're father is a businessman, what kind of business is he in?"

"Various kinds."

"Why didn't you enter the business world like your father?"

"I wanted to create my own path and in the end, police work was it for me?"

"And your father is supportive of your career choice?"

"Not really." Tony said not wanting to elaborate.

"So tell me, why are you dating my granddaughter?"

"I love her ma'am. She's kindhearted, beautiful, fun, she always puts a smile on my face. She makes me happier than I ever thought I could be." Celeste still didn't looked convinced with his testimony. "I love her so much that I'm going to ask her to marry me."

"When?" Celeste asked taken back.

"Christmas."

"Alright. Looks like I know all I need to know. I'll see you in three days." As Celeste walked out, she realized that Tony and Lizzy may love each other but their relationship was too much like Jenny's and Jethro's, meaning it will eventually fall apart. She wanted to save her granddaughter from any of the same heartache her daughter felt over the years by being with Gibbs. She was going to stop Elizabeth from making Jennifer's mistake.

It was finally Christmas day and Tony could hardly contain himself. They were getting ready to go to Jenny's house for dinner. Tony looked at Lizzy primping in the bathroom and looked down at the ring in his hands. He smiled and placed it in his pocket. He was making the right decision. He just hoped she said yes.


	42. Chapter 42

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 42

Tony and Lizzy were driving in silence to Jenny's townhouse. Lizzy was in deep thought about a confrontation that she had with her grandmother.

Flashback

_Lizzy drove over to the four seasons to have tea with all of the women in her family. All of them were going to go over the venue for Rachel's wedding. Even though the wedding was a year away, Rachel wanted to have everything squared away and ready to go. As Lizzy was walking over to the group, a little blonde girl dressed in pink ran up to her. "Aunt Lizzy!" The young girl yelled. Lizzy kneeled down on the floor and opened her arms wide. She picked up the young girl and hugged her tightly. "I miss you, aunt Lizzy." The girl said laying her head on Lizzy's shoulder._

_ "I missed you too, Amber. How was the flight in the airplane?"_

_ "It hurt my ears."_

_ "Yeah. Does it still hurt now?"_

_ "Can you kiss and make it better?"_

_ "Of course" Lizzy blew a raspberry under Amber's ear causing the young girl to giggle. "Come on, let's find mommy."_

_ They walked over to the group of Shepard women and Lizzy greeted all of them. Lizzy put Amber down put the young girl wanted to be held by Lizzy. "How can I say no to you, monkey?"_

_ "I don't know, I'm too adorable to say no to." Amber said with a giggle and her hands over her mouth._

_ "Yes you are." Lizzy picked her up and held her while they looked at place settings. "Do you like this one?" Lizzy said lifting a plate and inspecting it with Amber. Amber shook her head and Lizzy said, "Nah." and placed it back down. They were looking at place settings in contented silence when Celeste walked over to the pair._

_ "You know you'll spoil her you keep coddling her like that." Celeste said._

_ "Well I'm her aunt Lizzy, I get to spoil her all I want. She's my godbaby." Lizzy blew a raspberry under the girls chin causing her to giggle._

_ "Elizabeth, there is something you and I need to discuss."_

_ "This sounds serious."_

_ "It is."_

_ "Alright." Lizzy put Amber down causing the young girl to pout. "Amber, go find mommy o.k. I'll play with you in a little while."_

_ "O.k." The young girl ran off to her mother._

_ "They've all gotten so big. I miss them."_

_ "Yeah they have. Maybe you should move out to California. You'll see them more often." Celeste suggested._

_ "Grandma, my parents, friends, sisters, life and Tony are here. I just can't move."_

_ "I've been meaning to talk to you about the young man that you are seeing."_

_ "What about him, grandma?"_

_ "I don't think he is right for you."_

_ "Grandma, you haven't even met him."_

_ "Yes, I have and I have to say that I don't like what I'm seeing. He has a barely furnished apartment, a low income job, and no other prospects."_

_ "How do you know his financial situation or his prospects?"_

_ "Elizabeth, he is too much like your father and he is going to drag you down just like your father dragged your mother down for years. The best thing that ever happened to her was the divorce."_

_ "Grandma, you don't know what you're talking about. First of all, my parents love each other and I hate what you have to say about my father. No matter what he made your daughter happy and he is the father of five of your grandchildren. Second, I love Tony and he loves me. We make each other happy and I won't break up with him just because you don't like him."_

_ "Elizabeth, he is going to hurt you like your father did to your mother on countless occasions. He is too much like Jethro, he'll hurt you. I don't want to see you hurt. I want to save you from that heartache."_

_ "I appreciate that but this is my decision."_

_ "Does he know about your trust fund?"_

_ "No he doesn't and if he did it wouldn't matter since Tony came from money as well."_

_ "He did?"_

_ "Yes, so stop judging him and just be happy for me."_

_ "Alright, sweetheart."_

"You're really quiet." Tony said looking at his girlfriend.

"What? Oh yeah, just thinking about something. Nothing major. But I'm not the only that's been quiet. What's on your mind?"

"Nothing really. Just thinking."

"You nervous?"

"Does it show?"

"You'll be fine. You already met my grandmother, so the hard part is over?"

"How did you know about that?"

"She told me. So now I have to ask why didn't you tell me?"

"Well I felt that she was interrogating me find out more about me and see if I was good enough for you. She was just looking out for you. I didn't think much of it so don't worry about it."

"O.k. As long she didn't scare you off."

"She could never do that. I love you too much for that." Tony parked in the parking lot and leaned over and kissed Lizzy passionately. "So when do I get my present."

"I believe I got you a tie and suit and jeans and an xbox and those aviator sunglasses and ten different dvds. What else could you want?" Lizzy asked with a smirk.

"You know?" He said wiggling his eyebrows.

"Be a good boy and just maybe you'll get it."

Tony groaned and said, "Liz, you're killing me."

She just smiled at him and got out of the car. They went into the house and were greeted by Lizzy's family. Amber ran up to Lizzy and wanted to be picked up. "Aunt Lizzy, who that?"

"This is Tony. He's my very special friend."

"Oh, so he takes you out and stuff."

"Yup."

"Then where are the flowers?"

"What flowers?"

"When boy comes to girl house, they supposed to bring flowers." Lizzy and Tony laughed and Lizzy kissed Amber's cheeks.

"Sorry. I didn't know. Next time I'll remember."

"Good. Aunt Lizzy likes roses."

"I'll keep that in mind. You are very adorable has anyone ever told you that?"

"Everyday. Aunt Lizzy, when we open presents?"

"Soon. Go find Aunt Jenny and ask her."

Dinner was pleasant but it was somewhat strained with Celeste's and Jethro's disdain for each other. But for the sake of the children, who didn't need to see the fighting, their jabs at one another were subtle. (AN: I know it's weird that they're having dinner together with Jethro and Jenny getting divorced but it is a holiday.) Now they were having coffee and dinner while they opened presents. Tony couldn't keep his eyes off Lizzy as she helped all of her baby cousins opened their presents. "Something on your mind, Tony?" Ziva asked.

"Yeah." Tony smiled at her and she instantly knew what was on Tony's mind.

"She's a wonderful person, Tony. You two are going to be very happy together."

"Thank you, Ziva. Coming from you that means a lot."

"Is that all of the presents?" Mark asked.

"Not quite." Tony said. "I have one more gift for Lizzy."

"Liz, I love you and I can't imagine my life without you. So..." Tony got down on one knee and pulled the ring box out of his pocket and opened it.

"Oh my god."

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes. Yes. YEAH!" She yelled and jumped into his arms. He put the ring on her finger and hugged her tightly and kissed her passionately.

Everyone congratulated them, including Jethro. The only person that was quiet the entire time was Celeste.

"Lizzy, if you ever need anything. Don't forget that you can always come to your old man for help." Gibbs said.

"I know, daddy. I love you."

"I love you too. And let me know if DiNozzo does anything stupid so I can kick his ass for you."

Lizzy laughed but agreed and hugged her father tightly.

Celeste approached Tony and asked him to go for a walk with her. Tony reluctantly went with her and the two walked in awkward silence for about five minutes. "So I suppose congratulations are in order."

"Thank you."

"I said they were in order, I never said that I would give it."

"I didn't think you would." Tony mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, ma'am."

"Tony, you have to know that I have seen enough heartache surround my family to last me a lifetime and I know that you are bad news."

"With all do respect, your granddaughter doesn't have a problem with me."

"But I do. I don't want to see Lizzy get hurt. You are too much like Jethro and will hurt her like Jethro hurt my daughter. I won't have that happen to anyone else in my family."

"So what you brought me out here to have me whacked?" Tony asked sarcastically.

"No, just to give you some incentive to break up with her. I am willing to give you a check for $100,000 to break up with Lizzy."


	43. Chapter 43

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 43

"I'm sorry, can you please repeat that?" Tony asked dumbfounded.

"I will give you $100,000 to break up with Elizabeth. You will have a month to do it."

"Did you give Jason the same offer?" Tony asked still in shock.

"Yes, but Jason ripped the check the second he saw it."

"How do you know I won't do the same thing?"

"Because I looked into you, Anthony. You grew up in the Hamptons. You were accustomed to a certain lifestyle before you joined the Philadelphia Police Department. At that point your father cut you off. I know you miss that lifestyle and you can have that back if you break this engagement."

"Two things. One, are you kidding me. And two, seriously, are you freaking kidding me? You think a bribe is going to get me to end what I have with Lizzy. Did you ever think that I really love her? She's all I care about. I would do anything for her. She's the one and the only way I will end things with her is if cheating occurs or she doesn't want to be with me anymore. So you can just rip up that check yourself because there is no way in hell that I will break up with her." Tony walked back inside angry and upset with what had just happened. He wanted to tell Lizzy but he didn't want to hurt her and there was always the chance that she wouldn't believe him.

Gibbs saw Tony's distress and knew something had happened during his "friendly" walk with Celeste. That woman was always scheming something and he was not going to let her ruin his daughter's happiness, or Tony's for that matter.

"Hey, DiNozzo, you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just... nevermind."

"Tony, what happened with Celeste?"

"I'll tell you later. I don't want to ruin Christmas for anyone."

"Alright, tomorrow at work you have to tell me what happened."

"No problem, boss."

They both looked at Lizzy and saw how happy she looked. "She looks really happy, DiNozzo. Just don't hurt her. She is still my baby no matter how old she is. You break her heart, I'll break your neck."

"That's not going to happen."

"It better not."

Just then Amber ran up to them. "Uncle Jethro, Aunt Lizzy is getting married."

Gibbs picked her up and blew a raspberry on her cheek. "I know, are you excited. You get to be a flower girl again."

"What's a flower girl?"

"A flower girl throws flowers on the ground right before the bride walks down the aisle at a wedding. You're going to be a flower girl at Rachel's and Lizzy's weddings."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"And you get to wear a pretty dress and look beautiful." Tony said.

"As beautiful as Aunt Lizzy and Aunt Rachel?"

"Yeah."

Amber lifted her arms and reached out for Tony. Tony was hesitant to hold her but agreed. It was awkward at first, but Tony got used to it. Amber looked Tony in the eye and said, "Don't hurt Aunt Lizzy. She's special." She wagged a finger at him and narrowed her eyes at him.

"I won't I promise."

"Pinky swear." The three year old held out her pinky to him."

"Pinky swear." He looped his pinky with hers.

Lizzy came into the room and saw the three of them standing there. "Hey, what's going on out here?"

"Nothing much. Just Amber warning me not to hurt you." Tony said.

"Yeah, what will you do if Tony hurts me, Amber?"

"I'll sick Uncle Jethro on him." All three of them laughed and Gibbs picked the young girl up and kissed her on the cheek.

"Come on, Amber, your mom is looking for you." Lizzy said. She took Amber from her dad and walked her over to her cousin.

It was getting late and they all decided to leave. The only ones left at the house were Jethro and Jenny. Jenny was in the kitchen washing the dishes and Gibbs was watching her. "You do realize you have a housekeeper?"

"I realize but, Noemi doesn't need to clean up all of this mess. I don't want to take advantage of her. Plus I need to think and cleaning helps me think."

They were quiet for a while before Jenny said, "Can you believe that two of our girls are getting married, one is going to be graduating from high school this year and the youngest just got her first job? Everything is changing."

"Yeah, everything is changing, including our relationship."

"What about our relationship?" Jenny asked.

"Come on, Jen, are you seriously going to ignore what happened a few weeks ago."

"Jethro, we had sex. It happens but its over now. It doesn't change anything."

"Doesn't change anything, Jen? We still love each other."

"Really, nothing has changed? Because I seem to remember still going through divorce proceedings with you and my lawyer and your lawyer."

"Jen, do you still love me?"

"Jethro-"

"It's a simple question, yes or no?"

"Jethro, I will always love you. But nothing has changed. And short of a life altering experience nothing will change my mind."

Jethro hung his head and Jenny lifted his head and looked him in his eyes. "I'm sor-" Jethro silenced her with a kiss and wrapped his arms around her. She wrapped her arms around him too and Gibbs carried her upstairs.

That night, Jethro was lying in bed next to the woman he loved and couldn't help but try and think of a way to win her back. Tony was lying in bed that night and couldn't help but think how lucky he was. He was with the woman he loved and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure he didn't mess it up.

The next day, Tony was the last one in the squad room and was congratulated by Jimmy and Tim. "Thanks, guys."

"Alright. What happened with the monster-in-law, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

Tony sighed and said, "When Celeste and I went for a walk yesterday, she offered me $100,000 to end the engagement with Lizzy."

"She did what?" They all yelled.

"How could she do something like that?" Tim asked.

"I have no idea. But I told her she could just rip up that check cause I was not ending things with Lizzy, especially for money."

Gibbs couldn't help but feel proud of his senior field agent.

It was January second and Celeste was packed and ready to return to Los Angeles. She liked D.C., but after her husband's suicide, she couldn't bare to be back for too long. Her home was on the west coast now. Celeste was about to get ready for bed but she heard a knock on her door. She opened the door and saw Jethro standing in her doorway.


	44. Chapter 44

AN: I know it's been a while and I'm back now. Someone asked me what Lizzy looked like, and in my head I imagine that she looks like Ashley Greene but with long hair. Also, I envisioned Isla Fisher as Rachel, Leighton Meester as Chloe and Nina Dobrov as Annie.

Disclaimer: I don't anything.

Chapter 44

"What a pleasant surprise, Jethro, what are you doing here?" Celeste asked with a tense smile.

"We need to talk." Jethro said simply and pushed his way into the room.

"Come in why don't you?" Celeste replied sarcastically. She went over to the bar and filled them both a tumbler of scotch. "Here you go, Jethro, I know you prefer bourbon but I like scotch and had I known you were coming-"

"You would still offer me scotch." Gibbs said taking the drink from her hand and taking a sip.

He looked at her critically but didn't say anything about the unexpected visit. The silence was too much for Celeste because she said, "Usually when someone say 'we need to talk' they talk." Gibbs couldn't help but smirk at that comment and think of Jenny saying that to him. That seemed so long ago.

"You know exactly why I'm here, Celeste."

"Ahh, so Anthony told you about my offer."

"Yeah." He took another sip of his scotch and said, "Yeah, he did. I just have one question for you. What the hell is the matter with you? Did you even think about your granddaughter when you made that offer to DiNozzo?"

"That's two questions, Jethro." She said with a slight smirk. "And I was thinking about my granddaughter when I made that offer. I didn't want her to get hurt the way her mother was."

"Excuse me. How was her mother hurt exactly?"

"You must have really hit your head hard during that explosion a year ago. First when Samuel died, you promptly divorced her and married another one the first chance you had. Then, you marry her again and break her heart once again by one, not telling her about your first family, and two, by filing for divorce a second time. How do you think that makes her look. Jennifer is an intelligent woman and you have turned her into a love sick fool. I'll be damned if I let the same thing happen to Elizabeth."

"And you think DiNozzo will hurt Lizzy?"

"Yes, I think he will."

"Why?"

"Because he has been training under you, so he is bound to have picked up some of your bad habits and he reminds me of the way you were when Jennifer first introduced the two of us. A man with a lot of mystery to him and he used that to his advantage to get women, including my daughter. And now, your protege is doing the same thing with my granddaughter. So yes, I offered him that money to walk away so he won't hurt her."

"Don't you think he'll hurt her by asking her to marry him and then breaking off the engagement?"

"Of course it will hurt her but it would protect her from an even greater heartache later on and it will show her what kind of man he really is."

"Wait a minute, you offered him that money knowing it would hurt Lizzy all to expose Tony for the kind of man he is and to protect her from a pain that Tony may cause? Is that your reasoning for offering Jason money to break up with Rachel or when you offered me money to break up with Jenny the night before both of my weddings."

"Well for you my reasoning wasn't faulty, was it? And as for Jason, he proved to me that he loves Rachel more than anything. Tony has yet to prove that to me."

"You know what, talking about this with you , I have a better chance of raising the dead then getting through to you." Gibbs put his glass down and walked to the door. He turned around and looked at her and said, "If you pull shit like this again, I won't be responsible for my actions. And just so you know, Anthony DiNozzo is better than any man that I ever could have imagined for Lizzy to be with." He walked out of the hotel room and slammed the door.

It was February and Valentine's day was quickly approaching. Lizzy was excited since this was her first valentine's day as an engaged woman. Things were going great between her and Tony but she had yet to meet his father. Tony was protective of her and she knew things between him and his father were tense but she didn't want the first time to meet her future father-in-law to be on her wedding day.

Lizzy was in such a deep thought, she didn't see a blond woman about six years older than her right in front of her. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm such a klutz I never watch where I'm going." Lizzy said apologetically.

"Oh, it's o.k. I'm the same way."

The two smiled at each other and Lizzy asked, "Are you here for a caterer?"

"Yeah, are you one of the caterers?"

"Yes, I am. My names Lizzy Gibbs."

"I'm Maddie Tyler. I need a caterer for my wedding in three months."

"O.k. what kind of food are you interested in having served?"

"Oh you know something traditional. I want people to have an option between steak and chicken."

"O.k. That will be really simple. Just send the request with the invitations and we'll go from there."

They talked some more before Maddie got up to leave. "Thanks, Ms. Gibbs."

"No problem. Just let me know the head count and who wants what."

As Maddie was walking out, she stopped to look at the picture of Lizzy and her family. "I'm sorry to ask, but is that your father?" She asked pointing to the picture of Gibbs.

"Yup. That's my daddy."

"He wouldn't happened to be Leroy Jethro Gibbs, would he?"

"Yes, how do you know my father?"

"He helped out a few months ago and he was my best friend's father."

"Wait, Kelly was your best friend?"

"Yeah... well I like to think that she thought of me that way. I thought of her that way."

"Can I ask you what she was like when she was alive?"

"Well she was only six when she died (AN: I changed this to fit the story.) but she loved horses and her father and her favorite movie was the Wizard of Oz. She loved going to school and baking cookies with her mom and going to the beach and playing with your dad. She was a very happy little girl."

"She sounds great."

"She was. She always wanted a little sister. I think she would have liked having you as a sister."

"Thank you."

"Actually can you come out to my car for a moment? I have something to show you." Lizzy nodded and followed Maddie out to the car. Maddie took out a box that was filled with pictures and took out a few and handed them to Lizzy. "That's your sister before she went to California with her family. We talked on the phone everyday when she was gone. The day she didn't pick up the phone, I knew something was wrong. When I found out, I couldn't stop crying. We were young but I don't think I've ever had a friend like her since."

"I think my dad would really like to hear that. Thank you for showing me these."

"No problem. You can keep these."

"No these are your memories."

"They can be your memories too. They should have been your memories. I think, no I know that Kelly would want you to have these."

"Thank you. Thank you for these."

"No problem."

She went home that night in a daze. Even though her and Tony weren't officially living together she still liked to think of it as their home. As her and Tony were eating dinner that night, she was distracted and wasn't paying attention to what Tony was saying. Tony was talking about his day when he noticed Lizzy's mind was someplace else. "And I wore my underwear on my head and ran through the bullpen to see Gibbs' reaction... and Lizzy are you even listening to me?"

"Huh, oh sorry, babe, I'm just distracted."

"Did something happen at work today?" Tony asked concerned.

"No I just ran into..."

"Ran into who?"

"A friend. An old family friend." She said with a small smile.


	45. Chapter 45

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 45

"Yeah, she was in love with me. But I wasn't in love with her. I love Lizzy. Jeanne didn't want to understand that."

"But you still slept with her?"

"Yeah, once. Only once, after a particularly nasty fight with Lizzy. I regretted it the moment it happened. But it doesn't mean that I didn't care for Jeanne. I just loved Lizzy too much."

"Enough to cheat on her? I'm shocked Gibbs didn't kill you."

"Do you think I would be standing here if Gibbs did know that I had cheated on his daughter?"

"Well that is something you'll have to ask him. Back to the topic at hand, you say you cared for Jeanne there had already been two attempts on her life withing twenty four hours."

"Yeah, to get to her father."

"And what about Lizzy?"

"What about her?"

"Well wasn't there a threat to her life as well? One made by Benoit himself. No need to deny that fact, Tony, I saw the pictures that La Grenouille had sent Director Shepard of her girls. You know the ones, where here girls heads have crosshairs on them."

"Yeah, he sent them. What does this have to do with anything?"

"Well let's think about this logically then, your friend and the woman you loved were in danger. There was only one way to protect them. You knew that as long as Benoit was around they would never be safe, you knew it, Lizzy knew it, Jeanne knew it, Gibbs and Shepard knew it, and so did Benoit. You killed La Grenouille!"

"I did?"

Lizzy could not understand what was happening, Tony was being accused of murder once again and to think that just earlier that day, she and Tony were making plans for their wedding and now she was sitting down in Interrogation room 1 of NCIS at the navy yard. Just then the door opened and Agent Fornell of the FBI walked in with two cups of coffee. He placed one of the cups in front of her and took a sip of his own. "I got you a mocha latte. I figured that was a safe bet when it came to coffee." He took another sip of his coffee and noticed that Lizzy still hadn't touched hers. "You do know that the coffee isn't poisoned, right?" Lizzy reluctantly picked up the cup and took a sip. "Lizzy, do you know why you're here?"

"Because you're accusing my fiancee of murder."

"Yes, we need to know where DiNozzo was the night Rene Benoit was murdered."

"What night was that?"

"May 22nd, 2007."

"He was at my apartment with me."

"All night?"

"Yes, all night. Why?"

"What time did he arrive?"

"Not sure about 7:30. He was really shaken up and he said he just wanted to be with me. So I let him into the apartment and we were together all night. Why?"

"We believe that DiNozzo is behind the murder of Rene Benoit."

"I know that but that is impossible because he was with me as I just told you."

"How do you know? How do you know that while you were asleep, Agent DiNozzo didn't slip out of the apartment, go to the harbor and kill Rene Benoit."

"Because we had sex that night. I fell asleep on top of Tony. The only way he could have gone out to kill La Grenouille was if he managed to get out from under me without waking me up. Then he would have to come back and manuever his way back underneath me because that was how I woke up, when I went to the bathroom the next morning. Tony had drool on his chin, I wiped it off. I kissed him and then went to the bathroom. I went to take a shower and Tony joined me. We stayed in my apartment for the next two days. Would you like a play by play of how we made love for the entire weekend?"

"What about your mother?"

"What about her?"

"It's no secret that your mother and La Grenouille had history with one another. Not a good one. He tried to rattle your mother's cage by sending her pictures of all four of her girls with crosshairs on their heads." Fornell took out the pictures of her and her sisters and showed them to Lizzy. "You may have given Tony an alibi but not one for your mother. Where was she that night?"

"Most likely at home. If you want a real alibi, ask one of my sisters. This conversation is over." Lizzy got up and walked out of interrogation. Her sisters had to give their statements as well. Annie was the only one that was home when Jenny was. She confirmed that Jenny was there but she couldn't be sure if her mother was there all night.

The four Gibbs girls went to their mother's home to see if she was alright. When they got there, they found a stream of agents tearing their childhood home apart. "Mom, what is going on?" Chloe asked.

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart. They'll leave soon. Lizzy, Rachel, do you two mind if your sisters stay with you until this investigation is over."

"Sure, mom. C'mon you two I'll help you pack some of your things." Rachel went upstairs with her younger sisters leaving Jenny and Lizzy alone for the moment.

"Mom, when I was in interrogation, Fornell mentioned that you and Benoit had history. What was he talking about?"

"I'll tell you one day but not now."

"O.k. but just tell me this, you didn't have anything to do with this, right?"

"Of course not. And don't worry, I'm going to straighten all of this out. Just stay in your apartment for right now."

"Alright."

The next day, Jenny went to her office and confronted Fornell and Vance. "Is there a particular reason that my agents and the FBI are tearing apart my home?"

"La Grenouille was killed with a 9mm Glock. The same as your off duty weapon which we can't find." Vance said.

"You could have just asked me. I gave it to La Grenouille."

"Well that explains what DiNozzo shot him with."

"DiNozzo?"

"We have positive confirmation made by La Grenouille's daughter placing Tony at the scene of the crime."

"Jeanne Benoit gave you a positive id at night from a distance? My entire agency was torn apart on her word? I want to talk to her!"

Jenny went down to interrogation and started talking to Jeanne. "You never went to the harbor did you?"

"No. I just -"

"You didn't want Tony to be with another woman. The if I can't have him than no one can mentality."

"Yes. I loved him."

"I know. Believe I know what it's like to be in love with someone who is in love with someone else."

Tony was released and Jenny was cleared thanks to Trent Kort coming and explaining that he shot Benoit.

Jenny was up in her office and was explaining to Vance that she was going to be taking some time off and he'd be in charge for a few weeks. Vance walked out and Jenny and Gibbs were bickering playfully. "Jethro, I'm going to be away for a few weeks."

"Yeah, where are you going to be?"

"Paris. I need a few weeks for mental health. You know, like you did when you took your margarita safari."

"No need to be snippy with me. I just want to know where my wife is going to be."

"Oh I'm your wife now when a few weeks ago, I told you I wanted you to stay with me and you turned me down."

"C'mon, Jen-"

"Oh and don't worry, when I get back we'll have the divorce that you want. Our court date is set for May 16th. Goodnight, Jethro."

Tony and Lizzy were snuggled up on her couch. "I'm so happy you're o.k."

"Yeah. Now we can concentrate on that wedding of ours."

"Yeah. You know I've been thinking about that. For our honeymoon I don't want to go someplace historical like Europe or something but someplace sunny where we can lounge around after making love all night."

"Yeah. Like where."

"Puerto Rico or Dominican Republic."

"Nice. I like the way you think." He kissed her and picked her up taking her to the bedroom.

Lizzy had the day off and was helping her mother pack for her trip to Paris. "So why are you going to Paris?"

"I just need some time to myself, sweetie. I have been very stressed lately and I need to take care of it."

"Finally, I keep telling you to take better care of yourself. I need my mom. Especially now that I'm getting married. I want you around for a long time, mom."

"Don't worry, sweetie, I will be." She hugged her daughter and finished packing.

"Just bring me back a Channel bag from the trip."

Jenny laughed and said, "You are my daughter. Now make sure that your sisters are alright at your dad's and please make sure that they don't eat takeout everyday."

"Mom, you're stressing yourself out again."

"I know. Just look after everything for me. I will. I love you."

"I love you too, mom." After hugging her mother Lizzy left and went home to continue planning her wedding.


	46. Chapter 46

AN: So, it's been a while since my last update but here it is. I won't make excuses for it being late besides school being a bitch. I've pretty much reached the end of season 5 but judgement day and it's aftermath is going to be split into multiple chapters (this being the first part). Also, this is where the cast of NCIS: LA is going to make appearances for some chapters. I haven't written them yet so I don't know how many chapters that group of characters will be there but one member is going to be very important.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS

Chapter 46

Jenny returned from Paris but was very secretive about her trip there and whenever anyone brought it up, she would do whatever she could to change the subject. Even though Jenny was keeping her unorthodox trip to Paris hush hush, ever since she came back, she had been spending more time with her daughters. For instance, today, Jenny had cleared her lunch time schedule to spend time with Lizzy to help her plan her wedding. "So, have you decided on a color scheme, or do you need some help? And what about a date?"

"Well I want a champagne color for the bridesmaids' dresses and for the color scheme I want it to be pearl and champagne color or metallic gold. For the date, we decided on June 6th, 2009. I want a traditional wedding in a church but I don't know where to hold the reception."

"I might have place in mind. Have you seen the new hall in the Renaissance Hotel?"

"No."

"Well it has been renovated, it is big enough for our entire family, Tony's family, and friends, it has a big dance floor with a stage for a band, and a separate outdoor lounge area for the cocktail hour."

"Umm. Mom, that is a pretty detailed description. How do you know all of this?"

"When Tony asked you to marry him, I started looking into places where we could hold the reception. Sweetheart, this place is beautiful. You are going to love it."

"Alright. I'll make an appointment with the event coordinator there."

"How about we go there? I already spoke to Laura, the events coordinator and she is expecting us in twenty minutes."

"Today?"

"Yes, today. Now, come on." Jenny smiled at her daughter and they drove to the hotel to meet Laura. Laura took them into the hall and Lizzy immediately fell in love with it.

"Mom, this is perfect. I have to have my wedding here."

"I know sweetheart. But before you make a final decision, you should have Tony see it as well."

"Ya. Laura is it possible for us to make an appointment for this Saturday to see the lounge again."

"Of course. Let me make sure that there are no events scheduled." Laura looked in her date book and frowned slightly. "Oh, it looks like there is a wedding here on that day. How about this, come here on Saturday before the wedding at about four and you'll see how everything is set-up. Bring whoever you like with you."

"Thank you." As they were walking out of the hotel, Lizzy hugged her mother and said, "I really hope that Tony likes it."

"Sweetheart, Tony is not the issue. Your father is."

"Why would daddy be the issue?"

"Because no matter what he still sees you and your sisters as those little five year old girls that still need him to check for monsters under their beds. He's not ready to let any of you go. He's going to be cynical and difficult. But don't worry, I'll deal with him."

"I know you will, mom. You always do." Lizzy said with a smirk.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Lizzy. And I thought Rachel was the one with the dirty mind."

"Mom!"

Jenny just laughed and got into the car.

"Have you decided who is going to be your maid of honor?" Tony asked later that night.

Lizzy sighed and said, "Tessa has been my best friend since the first grade but Rachel and I are more than just sisters. She's one of my best friends too. I don't know who to pick. Any luck with picking your best man?"

"No. I'm still stuck between Palmer and McGee."

They were silent for a long time and then Tony snapped his fingers, "I have an idea. It might be a little crazy and it is not traditional but since both of us are stuck between two people for our maid of honor and best man, let's make both of them our maids honor and best men."

"That's not a bad idea, babe."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Look at you being all smart and helpful. I find you having ideas like this to be incredibly sexy."

"Really. Well maybe we should move to the bedroom?"

"Maybe we should." Lizzy got off the couch and walked backwards to Tony's bedroom giving him the come hither stare that drove Tony crazy.

A few weeks later, Jenny received a call that William Decker was dead from a heart attack. While attending the funeral she saw a man with a blonde woman looking for a man named Mr. Oshimida. Jenny knew what she had to do to protect her family.


	47. Chapter 47

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

AN: This chapter mainly follows Jenny and Franks. Also there is a mention of abortion in this chapter. This does not portray my views on the subject. It is merely something that went with the story.

Chapter 47

"Why did you call me, Red? And why are we meeting here?" Franks asked Jenny looking around the crappy motel room they were in.

"Look, you're one of the few people that Gibbs trusts with his life. So I figured if anyone can help me you can."

"Alright then. What's got you so worried?"

"I got myself into some trouble years ago."

"What kind of trouble?" When Jenny didn't answer his question fast enough, Franks got up and went to leave. "If you don't tell me, you can forget about getting my help."

"I messed up during an undercover mission from years ago and now my mistake has come back to bite me in the ass. Because of my mistake Decker was killed, and I'm next, and..."

"And what?"

"There was another agent involved."

"Who was the other agent?"

"Gibbs." Jenny said simply.

Meanwhile, Tony was trying to convince Ziva that nothing was wrong with Jenny even though he could feel it in his gut that something was most definitely off and it started with Decker's death. He received a call from Lizzy asking him if she had heard from her mother. Tony hesitated in answering, not wanting to admit to his fiancee that he had managed to lose track of her mother. If he couldn't even keep track of the Director, maybe he wasn't meant to ever become the Head Agent in Charge.

Tony, to appease Ziva, called LAPD to track the GPS on Jenny's rental car. Upon arrival, they saw LAPD all over the beach. The duo went to investigate the commotion on the beach and learned that Sasha Gordon, Will Decker's girlfriend had fallen off the pier to her death. Ziva took out her phone and called Jenny. "Director, she was found less than fifty feet from her vehicle. This is not just a coincidence, where are you?"

"I don't like your tone, Officer David. And despite what Agent Gibbs as told you, coincidences do exist and that is exactly what we have here."

"But-" Tony said.

"I'm fine. I'll meet you at the hotel later for the red eye back home." Jenny hung up the phone and looked at Franks. They had found the insurance policy that Decker had left.

"Well that's it." Franks said. "We should get out of here. Live a little longer."

"You can leave. I'm staying. This ends here."

"If you think I'm leaving you here on your own, you're crazy. Gibbs would kill me."

Ziva had finally convinced Tony to try and track down Jenny. With McGee's help, they tracked Jenny down in the middle of the desert. They knew something big was going to happen soon. Tony just hoped that nothing happened to Jenny.

Jenny was sitting on the other side of the diner, she suddenly said, "When I heard that Decker had a heart attack, I was relieved."

"Gibbs did always say you were complicated."

"Relieved because I knew there was always a chance that this could come back and haunt us."

"You never did tell me why you didn't complete your mission."

"Earlier that month, I found out that I was pregnant. I never thought about having a baby as part of my plans. Then again I also never planned to fall in love with my partner. I just wanted to follow my five point plan. So when I found out I was pregnant, I went to a clinic to get it taken care of."

"You got an abortion?" Franks asked in disbelief.

"No. I was sitting on that cold, sterile examination table and I kept thinking about Jethro and how much we loved each other and about the life we had created and how he was with children. I couldn't go through with it. I gathered my clothes and left. I didn't know how to even begin to tell Jethro that I was pregnant. All of his other marriages failed because he didn't want to have children. I didn't know how he was going to react. When the time came to complete the mission Morrow had given us, I still hadn't told Jethro about the baby. I want to the meeting to kill Svetlana Chernitskaya, and I couldn't do it. I've never been religious but I just thought about how I could bring a baby into this world after I had just killed someone in cold blood. I was scared that my child would end up tainted from my actions somehow. I couldn't go through with it. I let her go. And now because of that mistake, Decker had to pay."

"Look, Red, I'm the last person to ever tell an agent not to follow through with an assignment but I think you did the right thing. You had to do what was best for you and for your baby." They were silent for a while before Franks spoke up again. "When Gibbs told me you were pregnant. I flew up and the first thing I did was head slap him for knocking up a fellow agent, and then I slapped him again for not putting a ring on your finger the second he found out that you were pregnant. When I met you, I immediately knew why you were the one Gibbs wanted to be with. You helped heal him after Shannon and Kelly died. You and those kids."

"I don't know how much I helped him heal."

"Don't sell yourself short. You are the woman he fell in love with after he was plunged into darkness."

"This too much of a chick flick moment for you, Franks?" Jenny said with a smirk.

"You and your girls are the only ones I will ever have chick flick moments with. But if you ever tell anyone. I'll deny it." Franks got up and walked over to Jenny. " How long you been sick?"

"How do you know I'm sick?"

"When a person is running out of time, they get a look in their eyes."

"You're not that good."

"I found your pills."

"You went through my purse?"

"What are they for?"

"Does it matter?" Franks just continued to look at her until she sighed and said, "Breast cancer."

"Have you told Gibbs?"

"No."

"What the hell are you waiting for? Tell him. Just answer me this, did they get it all out?"

"So far. But I'm going to do a follow up in a month."

"You should tell him. He would want to know."

"If we get out of this situation unscathed. I just might."

"We will get out of this and you will tell him."

Jenny looked around the diner and she was thinking of a way to get Franks out of the diner so he didn't get hurt. She found a box of tea and an idea formed in her head. After Franks left the diner, Jenny got her gun ready and waited for the doors to open with her gun aimed.


	48. Chapter 48

AN: O.k. so I know by the end of this chapter all of you are going to hate me, but it is crucial to the plot. Just be patient and it will get better.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 48

Lizzy didn't understand what was happening. Her mother was supposed to only be in Los Angeles for two days for her Uncle Will's funeral. Now she was on her way to L.A. to see her mother who was fighting for her life from multiple gunshot wounds. She couldn't cry, she couldn't talk, she was just numb to everything around her. This was the second time within a three year span where someone she loved was on death's doorstep. Her sisters Annie and Chloe hadn't really stopped crying since they heard the news. They were on a flight out to California to see what her mother's condition was. SecNav had let them borrow the jet. Rachel was being held by Jason, Annie and Chloe were in a corner trying to hide their tears, Gibbs was staring out the window, and Lizzy opened up her phone to see if there were any messages from Tony. She had left him ten voicemails and at least thirty texts and she hadn't received anything from him. She sighed and closed her phone. She didn't understand why Tony wasn't answering her and even more so she wanted to know what happened out in the desert and why Tony wasn't protecting her mother.

She placed her head in her hands and leaned back. She didn't understand what was happening and something told her she would never fully understand. In fact she wasn't all that sure that she wanted to know what happened. She just wanted her mother to be alright.

Lizzy felt someone sit next to her and bring her hands away from her face. Lizzy looked up to see her father looking deep in her eyes. He hugged her tightly and didn't let go when she weakly tried to fight him off. But she gave in and let her father hold him. She let out a few tears but stopped herself before anymore came. She knew that her father wasn't going to stop until he found who did. And that left her to stay strong for her sisters. However, she didn't know if she could stay strong this time around. And above all else, she really needed to talk to Tony.

Upon landing, they drove to the hospital and went into the waiting room of ICU. When they got there, they found Celeste, Heather, and the rest of their family waiting there. They were all silent for a moment, before Gibbs spoke up, "Celeste, how is she?"

"I don't know. She's been in surgery for over twelve hours. Jethro, they won't tell us anything." Celeste said. Gone was the old battle axe that Gibbs had grown to resent and here was a woman that was worried about her daughter's life.

Gibbs walked over to the nurse's station and said, "Hey, I need to speak to someone about Jenny Shepard."

"Sir, you're going to have to wait."

"Lady, don't tell me to wait. I'm her husband. You better start telling me what her condition is or get me someone who will right now!"

"Excuse me, you said you were Director Shepard's husband?" They heard from behind them.

Gibbs turned around and saw the doctor holding a clipboard. "Yeah. I'm her husband, Special Agent Gibbs. What is the diagnosis with my wife?"

"The Director sustained multiple gunshot wounds. We managed to get all of the bullets out but they may have caused significant damage. Especially the one that was in her shoulder and lower abdomen. Right now we have to wait for the swelling to go down to fully see what the damage here. The next seventy two hours are crucial. We're going to keep her in a comatose state so her body can heal a bit faster. After that we'll bring her out of it and see if she wakes up."

"If she wakes."

"To be honest Agent Gibbs it doesn't look good. Within the next week everything is crucial and it is going to be up to Director Shepard to wake up once we stop the medication to keep her in a coma. I'm sorry. I'll know more in three days time. Until then, I suggest that all of you get settled, it's going to be a while."

When the doctor walked away, Annie, Chloe, and Rachel started crying again. Lizzy just felt numb again. She saw that her father said something to her grandmother and then started walking out of ICU. She ran after him and stopped him. She hugged him tightly and said, "Daddy, be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you too."

Gibbs kissed the top of her head and whispered, "I will, Lizzy. Watch out for your sisters. I'll be back soon. And don't worry about your mom. She is the most stubborn person that ever lived. This won't kill her. She'll outlive us all, so don't worry."

Gibbs started walking away when Lizzy said, "Dad, if you find this guy, kick his ass." Gibbs just smirked.

It was a week later and Jenny was breathing on her own but she hadn't woken up yet. Gibbs had returned from wherever he went two days ago. He hadn't moved from Jenny's side aside from coffee breaks and trips to the bathroom. Upon his return, Lizzy looked him in the eye and she knew that whoever did this was taken care of. Lizzy had yet to here any word from Tony. She had left him more and more messages everyday but she still hadn't heard anything from him. It was starting to really frustrate her. If this was how he was going to act when they were only engaged, how was he going to be if they did get married.

She left the hospital on her own and went to the hotel that Tony was staying in. She found his room and knocked loudly on the door. When Tony didn't answer, she yelled, "Tony, I know you're in there. Open the door! OPEN THE DOOR!" She kept knocking but received no answer. Lizzy sighed and did the only thing she could and she knew this would get the message across.

When Tony was sure that Lizzy had left he opened the door. He didn't know what to say to her. He had a major error in judgement when it came to the Director's protection and Tony didn't know if he could look Lizzy in the eye at this point. He wanted to talk to her, he just didn't know what he should say to her. He didn't want to see the pain or anger or judgement in her eyes that he undoubtedly knew would be there.

Tony opened the door and saw that Lizzy was really gone and not hiding down the hall. He swept the entire hallway and saw something shiny on the floor. He picked it up and wanted to cry but he couldn't. It was the engagement ring he had given Lizzy. It was over.


	49. Chapter 49

AN: O.k. so I finally got a chance to update. YAY! Heads up for everyone reading. From here on out, NCIS:LA will be part of the story. This is pre season 1 NCIS:LA so no Dominic and no Deeks. Sorry to people who like them. And yes I know that Hetty was not in the NCIS season 6 episodes Legend part 1 and 2 but she is part of this story. Macy, Nate, Sam, Kenzi, and Eric are going to be part of this story just not in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or NCIS:LA

Chapter 49

Tony didn't know what to do. He didn't want to end things with Lizzy but he knew the last week had been difficult for her with everything that happened to her mother. He wanted to fix it, but he thought that she might be better off without him in her life. She deserved better and he had to accept that. Tony was drawn out of his thoughts by the sound of his phone ringing. He saw it was Ziva. He had been ignoring everyone's calls except for hers and Gibbs'. He figured since it had been more than a week, so it had something to do with the Director's condition. "Yeah, Ziva, what's going on?"

"The Director's awake. But she is very weak. They're going to keep her in the hospital for about a month."

Tony breathed a sigh of relief. "Is Lizzy there?"

"No, but she is on her way. I'll tell her you called-"

"No! No, Ziva. I don't want you to tell her anything."

"Why? Don't you want her to know what happened or that you're o.k.?" When Tony remained silent, Ziva said, "You haven't spoken to her yet, have you?"

"No."

"Tony, how could you not speak to her yet? She needed you this entire week and you haven't been there for her. How could you do that to her? I wouldn't be surprised if she gave her engagement ring back to you. It's what I would do if my fiancee was acting like a coward."

"How do you know she hasn't already?" Tony asked rhetorically.

"Tony... I didn't mean. She gave it back, didn't she? Oh, Tony, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, Ziva."

"No it's not. You two love each other and should be together."

"I think you've been spending too much time with Abby. Only she talks like that."

"She's a good influence. Anyways, you should get to the hospital. Jenny wanted to talk to us."

"I'll be there soon."

Tony got into a cab and gave the driver the address to the hospital. Once there, he walked quickly to recovery and found Ducky, Abby, Palmer, and McGee had flown out to see the Director. He also saw, the Director's family and Ziva minus Gibbs and Lizzy. Abby still had tears in her eyes despite the Director finally being awake and when she saw Tony she attacked him with a fierce hug. "Abs, I can't breathe."

"Oh sorry." She quickly let him go and dragged him over to the rest of the group.

"Where's Gibbs?" Tony asked.

"He's in the room with Jennifer, Vance, and the SecNav. They're discussing what happened in the desert and Jennifer's future with NCIS." Ducky said.

"What do you mean her future at NCIS?"

"This is not the first time, Jennifer has managed to slip away from her protection detail. This time last year, the SecNav warned her that if she did it again, there would be dire consequences."

"Hopefully, they don't fire her. I wouldn't be able to take it if Vance was our new Director." Abby said.

"I don't think they'll fire her, just put her on suspension for a while." Ducky said trying to comfort everyone in the room.

"Where's Lizzy." Tony said after a moment of pure silence.

"I'm surprised it has taken you this long to inquire about my granddaughter?" Celeste said angrily while Rachel just glared at Tony. She knew what Lizzy had done and she didn't blame her on bit. If Jason did what Tony had done, she would have broken off the engagement as well. She had been the one to hold Lizzy all last night while she cried. It was going to be a while before she could forgive Tony for what happened.

"She had a rough night and needed some sleep. Lizzy will come here when she is ready. Why do you care anyways." Rachel snapped.

"Rachel, of course Tony cares about his girlfriend." Abby said coming to Tony's aid.

"Really, if he cared so much, he would have answered at least one of her phone calls or texts or opened the door to his hotel room when she came to see him. You don't know anything about this, Abby, so don't get in the middle. You weren't up with Lizzy half the night, holding her while she cried. Making herself sick with grief. And to top it all off, where was he when my mother was being shot in the desert? If he really cared about Lizzy, he would understand that her family is the most important thing in her life. And considering her mother's ability to slip away from her protection detail, he would have kept a very close eye on her so this, right here, wouldn't have happened!"

"Rachel, enough!" They looked up to see Gibbs there. They were all silent for moment before they all started speaking at once. "Daddy, what's happening?" Chloe asked.

"Your mom is fine. She wants to see you three and … where's Lizzy?"

"She said she'll be here when she's ready. But she didn't say where she was." Annie said.

"O.k. Don't worry about her. I have feeling I know where she is. Do you three want to see her?"

The three girls pushed their way into the room and saw their mother was still talking to Vance and SecNav. It took Jenny a moment to notice her daughter's standing in the doorway. "Hi, my beautiful girls." Jenny said with tears in her eyes.

"Assistant Director Vance, we should go and let the family talk. Director Shepard you rest and we will review the case." SecNav and Vance walked out and Gibbs walked in and closed the door.

The girls walked over to her slowly and they were afraid to hug her so they wouldn't hurt her even more. "You know you three can hug me. You won't hurt me." Rachel hugged her first although very stiffly.

When it was Annie's and Chloe's turn, they hugged her tightly and let a few tears loose. "Hey, you two. I'm o.k. I'm here. And I promise that was the last time I will ever leave my protection detail while on duty." Annie and Chloe still continued to cry but they calmed down somewhat.

"Mom, what happened?"

"Chlo, it's a long story..."

"No. you can't do that. You can't say that it's a long story from a long time ago. You almost died and we have every right to know why."

Jenny sighed and began to tell them everything except about the cancer. That part she omitted. They didn't need to add that on top of everything else. "O.k. What did the SecNav say?" Jethro asked.

"Considering how many times I broke protocol and this failure with my mission almost thirty years ago, the SecNav has decided that to suspend me until further notice. Leon Vance is now active director of NCIS."

"What?!" They all said at once.

"But you've worked so hard. That's not fair." Annie said.

"Well, even if I wasn't suspended, Vance would have taken over for a while until I was well enough to travel, which won't be until mid September. Chloe don't worry, I'm going to be in Arizona to help you move into your dorm room. And I want you two to print out pictures from your prom so I can see how much fun you two have had. And, Rachel, you and Lizzy take care of wedding details and send me emails. I want know everything going on with my girls. Speaking of Lizzy, where is she?"

"I talked to her. She's with Hetty." Gibbs said.

Meanwhile

Hetty put the phone back on the receiver and poured her third cup of tea that morning and it was only eleven. She back down and turned to the young woman. "That was your father. Your mother is awake now. He wants you to come down to the hospital and see her."

Lizzy sighed and said, "I'm not ready to see her like that, Hetty. I'll go down in a few hours when everything has calmed down a bit."

"I've been meaning to ask you to tell me about this young man that has you so smitten, but judging by the absence of engagement ring on your finger, I'm assuming the wedding is canceled."

"You would assume correctly."

"Why would you end the engagement. From what you and everyone else has told me, you two were deeply in love with one another."

"Life happened, Hetty." But that wasn't a good enough excuse for Hetty. Lizzy let out a small breath and said, "He was supposed to be part of my mother's protection detail. He didn't do his job."

"But that's not the only reason."

"No. You are way too good. Now I see why you were so good at interrogation."

"Lizzy."

"I needed him. And he wasn't there when I needed him. I know that sounds pathetic but I needed him."

"Lizzy, it's not pathetic. You wanted the man you loved to comfort and be there for you during that difficult time. Never think that you are pathetic." Hetty took a sip of her tea and said, "It's likely that your mother is going to remain in L.A. for a while due to her injuries. I will make sure that nothing happens to her and so will my agents."

"Thank you, Hetty. Do you think I can stay here until I go see my mom a bit later."

"Of course. You don't even have to ask. Now I have to go to the office. I'll pick you up later and we'll go to the hospital together. I have not seen your mother for quite some time and want to see how she is holding up."

Back at the hospital.

Jenny managed to convince everyone to go back to the hotel or their homes except for Gibbs. He had taken it upon himself to make a vigil by her bedside. If Jenny was truly honest with herself, she was very happy that Jethro had decided to stay. She always felt safest when he was close by.

They were watching Casablanca on T.V. and Jenny couldn't help but think how much that movie was so much like their lives. She loved him so much and she knew that he loved her. They were both so stubborn that they would never admit it to each other.

Jenny decided that she was going to put herself out there for one final time. Not knowing that Gibbs was thinking the exact same thing.

"Jen, I need to tell you something."

"Well, I need to tell you something."

"Let me go first. Jenny, I have made a lot of mistakes in my life, none more than with you. I put you through so much and you always forgave. And now I'm asking you to forgive me one last time. I made a mistake by filing for divorce. I never should have put you or our girls through that again. It's just at the time I was stuck in the past with Shannon and Kelly. I could feel that I loved you and our girls but I felt that I was betraying my first family. So I pushed all of you away, especially you. Jenny, I've been in love with you from that moment that you told me off the first time I gave you a sexist comment. I love you and want to be with you. It's always been you, Jenny. It's always been you."

Jenny was silent for a moment before she said, "Jethro, nothing would make me happier in this moment than for me to be your wife again. I want to be with you. I love you." Jethro kissed her passionately. They broke apart and smiled at each other. "I'll call my lawyer tomorrow. Have them stop the divorce proceedings."

"I'll call mine tomorrow too." Gibbs said before kissing her again.

They broke apart when they heard someone clearing their throat behind them. "Special Agent Gibbs, I believe Director Shepard has just been through a very traumatic experience that has left her very weak. Save that for when she has more strength." Hetty said.

Gibbs and Jenny laughed and smiled when they saw Lizzy standing there. "Lizzy, sweetheart, I'm so happy you're here. Come here." Jenny said. Lizzy walked over and hugged her mother.

"Hetty, why don't you and I get some coffee while mother and daughter talk."

"Jethro, you know I don't drink coffee, but I'll have some tea." The two walked out of the room and Lizzy sat on the edge of her mother's bed.

She was quiet and felt guilty for not being there sooner. "Baby, I'm not upset that you weren't here sooner. You're like me, you can only face a situation when you are ready and not a moment before."

"I should have been here when you first woke up but I just couldn't. I needed to sort somethings out."

"Lizzy, what did I just say. It's alright." They talked for a while about what happened to Jenny in the desert until Jenny noticed that Lizzy didn't have her ring on. "Lizzy, where is your engagement ring?" Lizzy looked down and didn't say anything. "Elizabeth, answer me." Lizzy still didn't say anything for a long while.

Eventually, Lizzy looked up and said, "Mom, I don't want to talk about it."

"Why would you end your engagement?"

"Because I had to. I need some air." Lizzy got up and walked outside. She was sitting on a bench trying to fight tears when she heard someone say, "Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Lizzy."

Lizzy looked up and saw someone she had not seen for a very long time. "G Callen, I've missed you." She hugged him tightly.

"I've missed you too. How's your mom."

"She's good. Finally awake. Do you want to see her?"

"Sure. Lead the way."

It was a few days later and Gibbs was on his way back to the Washington Navy Yard. He promised Jenny that he would be back that weekend to see her. When he got there, he didn't see his team anywhere. He was about to call them when he heard, "Agent Gibbs, I need to see you in my office." He looked up to see Vance on the catwalk. Gibbs walked upstairs and saw his team there waiting for him. Once Gibbs had closed the door he began. "Officer David, your liason position with NCIS has been terminated. Pack your things, you're on way back home tomorrow. Agent McGee, you've been reassigned to the cyber crimes unit. Agent DiNozzo, you've been an agent for years but have never been an Agent Afloat. Pack a bag and report to U.S.S. Ronald Reagan at nine sharp. Agent Gibbs, meet your new team." Vance dropped three files in front of Gibbs.

Gibbs was speechless but angry beyond belief. He couldn't wait for Jenny to be back and put this bastard back in his place.


	50. Chapter 50

AN: A while ago in the reviews, someone mentioned something that I actually had planned to happen to Lizzy and it is going to happen in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 50

Lizzy had been in L.A. for about a month now. She had been dividing her time between taking care of her mother and being shown around L.A. by Callen. They had become very close that she was one of the few people that called him by his first name. Callen introduced her to the agents that he and Hetty worked with. They could all tell that Callen felt something for Lizzy but none of them ever voiced it. None of them knew about Lizzy's past relationship with an NCIS agent, except Hetty, but they could tell that she was running from her past.

Callen drove Lizzy to the hospital so she can stay with her mother who was going to be released from the hospital the next day. Callen, being the gentleman that he was, walked Lizzy to her mother's room. Upon their arrival, they noticed more agents in front of the door than usual. Lizzy fearing the worst started running to the door. "What the hell is this? Let me in." But the agents wouldn't move.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't allow you to enter this room." One of the five agents said.

"What do you mean you can't let me in? Director Shepard is my mother. Let me in."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but you can't come in. Please move away from the door before you are arrested."

"Hey. Guys, I'm Agent Callen. Lizzy, go sit down for a minute while I talk to them. This is Director Shepard's daughter. And if she wants to see her mother, let her into that hospital room. Move away from the door." Callen said showing the agents his badge. "Now, why are there so many agents guarding the Director? Was there another attempt on her life?"

"No, nothing like that, Agent Callen. The Secretary of the Navy is here and the extra agents are here for his protection as well as the Director's."

"Oh. Well can we go into the room or is it a private conversation between the two of them?"

"The Secretary has not asked to be disturbed. They've been in there for a while though. They should be finished soon. Once they are done with their conversation, she can go in."

"Alright. And from now on, if there is a meeting or something else that is going on with the Director, make sure to tell her daughter or any of her other family members what is happening. This family has been through a lot and they don't need the extra worry or fears like you just placed into the Director's daughter." Callen walked over to Lizzy and placed a hand on her shoulder. She wasn't crying but she was trembling. He could only imagine that it was due to her fear that something had happened to her mother. "Lizzy, it's o.k. You're mom is fine. She's just in a meeting with the SecNav."

"What, why would the SecNav want to meet with her now? Unless, oh God, you don't think he's going to fire her, do you?"

"I hope not. When I was working with your mom, she was one of the best agents I've ever seen and she deserved her position."

Just then the door opened and the SecNav walked out with a smile on his face. "Remember what we talked about, Jenny. Take things slow until you get back into the swing of things."

"I will. Thank you, again."

Once the Secretary left the room, Lizzy ran into the room and saw her mother smiling. "Lizzy, are you alright?"

Lizzy hugged her mother tightly, all of her old fears coming to the surface. It didn't matter how old she was, with her parents jobs, she was going to constantly worry about them. This was yet another reason for her not to regret ending her engagement. If she married Tony, she would jump every time the phone rang, thinking that it would be a member of his team telling her that Tony was hurt or worse.

"I'm fine, mom. I was just worried when I saw the extra agents and then they wouldn't let me in."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I was just having a very important conversation with the SecNav."

"Yeah, they mentioned that. What was it about?"

"Well, the SecNav reviewed my past three years as Director and my history as an agent and saw that ever since I became Director, employment at NCIS has increased and so has case closing rates of cases and an extensive increase in funding. Based on all of this, he believes that NCIS will suffer if I leave my post as Director."

"What does that mean? Are you going to perform the duties of Director from L.A.?"

"Not exactly. I'm going to start slow and take on the duties as Assistant Director until I am well enough to travel back to D.C. where I will take over as Director from Vance."

"Where are you going to do this from?"

"Apparently, the SecNav spoke to Hetty and she has agreed to allow me to work from the Special Operations office."

"That's great, mom."

"Yeah, Jenny, it will be good to work with you again." Callen said. He had silently been observing the two of them until then.

"Thank you, Callen. It will be good to back at work. I've been becoming restless just laying in this bed."

"Oh I know." Lizzy said with a laugh.

"I'll leave you two alone." Callen said with a small smile.

"Thanks for the ride, Callen."

"No problem."

Jenny was quiet for a moment before saying, "You know that Tony is now and Agent Afloat on board the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Have you spoken to him since you gave the ring back?"

"No and I'm not going to."

"Lizzy-"

"No, mom, I can't talk to him."

"Why?"

"Because I love him so much that if I talked to him that I would go back to him."

"And that would be the worst thing possible."

"Yes. I needed him the entire week when you were unconscious and he never once answered any of my calls, texts, emails, or even when I went to see him at his hotel room. How can I be with someone that runs the moment there is trouble?"

"Lizzy, just please be think about it. Love is so difficult to come by that when you do find it, you should never let it go."

"I'll keep that in mind."

A week later, Jenny was at the office of special projects taking care of some business in an office space that Hetty had set up for her. Lizzy refused to leave her mother's side that first week, came to the office with her. She instantly became close to Eric and Kensi but it took Sam, Macy, and Nate a bit longer to warm up to her.

She was sitting in the waiting the control room listening to Hetty talk about the latest case with her agents. A senator's daughter was found in her room with a deep gash on the top of her head "Her sister, Ashley, is missing. We need you to locate her. It is likely that she killed her sister and ran out of fear."

"What's the murder weapon?" Sam asked.

"There were pliers found near her body with Ashley's fingerprints all over them. We believe this is the murder weapon but the coroner will know more once the autopsy is finished."

"Umm, that's not a murder weapon." Lizzy said.

"Excuse me." Macy said.

"That's not a murder weapon."

"Care to share why you believe so?"

"When a girl is bloated, skinny jeans are very difficult to get into. It is even more difficult to zipper them up. One of the easiest ways to get into them, is to take a set of pliers and have someone drag the zipper up while you are lying on the bed. Usually, sisters do this for one another. I know my sisters and I have done it for one another. That's why Ashley's fingerprints are all over the the pliers not because she murdered her sister, but because she helped her get into her jeans. Plus, if she had used it as a weapon against her sister, she would have most likely chipped a nail. Since there is a lack of nail filaments there, she is most likely not your killer." When Lizzy saw that they were all looking at her like she had six heads she quickly added, "Of course I can be wrong. You are the experts. Forget I mentioned it."

"Now as I was saying..." Lizzy managed to slip out of the room and went to her mother's office.

"Hi, sweetheart. I just need to finish this report and we will go to lunch. What's the matter?" Jenny said with concern when looking at her daughter.

"I made a stupid mistake up in ops. I opened my mouth when I should have kept it shut."

"Oh. Don't worry about that. Everyone does that."

A few minutes later Hetty walked in. "Hetty, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said anything in ops."

"On the contrary, miss Gibbs, your insight is very much welcomed. Also, the forensics team and coroner confirmed what you said. The gash was not due to the pliers, it was due to a metal bat."

"Oh."

"Miss Gibbs, you have good insights and instincts as well as intuition. Have you ever considered becoming an agent?"

"What? No. Not since I was very young."

"I think you would make an excellent one. How would you like to work for NCIS?"


	51. Chapter 51

AN: I just want to say again. This is a Tony OC story. So don't get discouraged by the upcoming chapters. Tony is going to fight for his lady just, not for a while. They will be together again. A bit of foreshadowing for everyone.

Disclaimer: I don't NCIS or NCIS: LA.

Chapter 51

"Hetty, can I speak to you for a moment?" Jenny said getting up.

"Of course, Director." Both of them walked out of the office and Jenny closed the door behind her.

"Hetty, what are you doing? How could you offer her a position like that? She is not an agent."

"Neither were you. You were one of the most green agents I had ever seen. And look at you now. Director of NCIS."

"Hetty, she is a chef not an agent." Jenny said again.

"You and Jethro raised her to be able to protect herself with and without a gun. Not to mention she has good instincts. She knew that it wasn't a murder weapon, she is very good at this. I just want to do a trial run with her. If she wants to be an agent afterwards, then you should let her. It is her decision. Why are you so against her doing this job?"

"Hetty, my husband and my daughter Rachel are already doing this dangerous job. I get knots in my stomach every time they go out a case, never knowing what is going to happen to them. I never wanted this career path for my girls. And now you're offering this job to another one of my girls."

"Jenny, how do you think Jethro and your daughters felt when you were working over seas on counter-terrorism or when you became promoted to Director and your life was in even more danger. You can't place them in a bubble and expect them to like it. You have to support them in whatever they decide to do."

"I know that, Hetty. But it is hard considering they want to do these dangerous jobs."

"I know but you can't stop them from doing what they want. Now let your daughter make her decision on her own. If she chooses to not to do this, I will never bring it up again. You have my word."

"Fine." They walked back into the room and saw Lizzy in deep thought. "Lizzy, what are you thinking about?"

"About this offer. Hetty, thank you for the offer, but how would this work. I'm not an agent."

"I will have you trained by the agents here and I'll have you partnered with my best agent. I believe you and Mr. Callen have become very close over the past month and he will do a very good job of protecting you should something happen."

"But if Callen is protecting me, who is going to do the job? I don't want Callen to have to worry about me."

"He won't. You're parents have trained you. You'll be fine. Don't worry about it. I'm not about to send you out there without some training."

"O.k. Hetty but I want to try this once. Just so I know how it feels before I make my final decision."

"Of course. Why don't you go to the training arena. I'll send Mr. Callen, Mr. Hanna, and Ms. Blye down there to give you some tips. Director."

Hetty left the room leaving mother and daughter alone. "Lizzy, are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to prove anything to me or your father by doing this."

"No I want to do this. I want to see what it's like."

"Alright. But you have to promise me that if you can't handle this, you tell someone and walk away."

"I will don't worry."

"I will always worry about you."

Lizzy walked down to the training room. She saw Callen, Kensi, and Sam already there waiting for her. "Hey, Lizzy. I hear that you are becoming an agent." Callen said.

"Just temporarily."

"Well, it's good of you to join. Now Sam, Kensi, and I are going to give you some basic moves to help you when you're out in the field."

The three of them gave Lizzy some tips about fighting and thinking on her feet and they saw that she was a quick study. When The three agents were called into the field, Lizzy stayed in the training room and continued to work on the moves the that they had given her.

Meanwhile, Tony was lying on his bunk in the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan. He had one hand behind his head and the other hand was in front of his face holding the engagement ring that he had given to Lizzy. He didn't understand what had gone wrong. He didn't know why he didn't answer her or go to her when she needed him. He felt like a coward and failure as a man. He should have defended his woman and he failed her in every way possible. She deserved better. But he wasn't able to let go.

He sighed and looked up on the wall and looked at the pictures he had put up of his team and more importantly of Lizzy. They looked so happy and he managed to ruin that with one stupid decision.

He wanted her back but he didn't know how to get her back. He still loved her and he knew deep down she still loved him. He just had to show her they still belonged together. He wouldn't know what he would do if she had already moved on.

He stared at her beautiful picture and wondered what she was doing at that moment.

Later that night, Lizzy was still down in the training room going over the moves that Callen and his team had told her about. She was so focused that she didn't hear anyone come in behind her. She was a little tired and a bit overconfident since she went over the moves so many times already that she made a stupid mistake and tripped over her own feet.

She heard laughter behind her and looked to see Callen laughing at her softly. "Not funny, G."

"Yeah it kinda was." He walked over and helped her up. "You've gotten better."

"Thanks. But I would feel like I really got them down if I practiced them on someone."

"You can try it on me."

"You sure. I don't want to hurt you, G."

"You won't."

"We'll see about that." She said with a smirk.

They started sparring when Callen got the upper hand. He couldn't deny that Lizzy had gotten very good but he had been doing this a lot longer than she had been. He saw an opening and went in. He swept her legs out from under her and she fell on her back and Callen was on top of her and he pinned her arms above her head. "Do you give?" Callen asked his face very close to hers.

"Nope." She said with a smile. Then they looked at each other calmly, both of them panting. They were caught up in the heat of the moment and before Lizzy knew it they were kissing each other deeply. It lasted for a while and when they pulled away both of them were shocked. They didn't know what came over them. Callen got off of her and pulled Lizzy up too. They parted ways at the locker room. Lizzy couldn't believe what she had done. She had just gotten out of a very long relationship not to mention she didn't want to ruin a friendship with Callen because of this. She didn't know what to do.


	52. Chapter 52

AN: Just a little timeline for all of you, this chapter is in August so a little bit before season 6 starts. There is no Tony in this chapter, but you will see him again soon and Lizzy will be back in D.C. within a couple of chapters. Also, Tony really can't fight for Lizzy since he is an Agent Afloat but he will when he sees her again in D.C. Just a little bit of info for the upcoming chapters.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 52

After the kiss in the training room, there were days where Callen and Lizzy were close and then there were days where they were awkward and distant. It had now been a month since Lizzy had started her agent training and Hetty was ready to send her out into the field with Callen's protection of course. However, she was reluctant to send them out together. Hetty knew that Callen and Lizzy were friends since they met years ago but something had changed in their relationship. She just hoped that it wouldn't affect their work in the field. She would have to give them the talk about being intimate while in the field.

Hetty called everyone into Ops to brief them on the current case. The case was about finding a mole in the government who was feeding information to Hamas terrorists. Said mole was going to be at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. They also believed that this mole was going to give information that could prove deadly for the governor of California. "Mr. Callen and Ms. Gibbs, you two will be guests at the hotel. You will attend every function and collect information and recon the scene. Ms. Macy you will be working the front desk, Ms. Blye you will be a waitress, and Mr. Hanna will be a bartender. We will be monitoring everything from Ops with the help of Mr. Beale. You are all dismissed. Mr. Callen and Ms. Gibbs may I see the two of you in my office?" The two of them looked at each before following Hetty.

The two of them sat down in front of Hetty's desk and waited for Hetty to speak. Hetty sighed and said, "Mr. Callen, Ms. Gibbs, when a man and a woman go undercover as husband and wife. They are forced to be in close quarters and can only truly depend on one another. That can only come from total and utter trust in one another."

"What are you getting at, Hetty?" Callen asked.

"Sometimes when two people are forced into this type of intimate position, it could bring forth some unexplainable and foreign feelings to the surface."

"Hetty, you don't have to worry about us. We will remain professional throughout this entire assignment." Lizzy said.

"That is all that I wanted to know. You two should go and get ready. Oh and before I forget, your aliases are Ken and Jacklyn Maguire. Ken Maguire is a high profile lawyer while Jacklyn is a pediatrician. Your wardrobes are ready so go and get changed."

Callen and Lizzy changed into their clothes. Callen was wearing dark wash jeans with a black button up shirt and a black blazer. Lizzy was wearing a white dress that came to her knees and fit her like a glove. He couldn't help but think that she looked really gorgeous. He could tell that she was running from something and he just wanted to help her. There were times that he looked at her and he knew that if he let himself, he could fall in love with her. Unfortunately, he was just as guarded as she was.

"G, are you ready to go?"

"What? Yeah let's go." Callen opened the door for her to a convertible Lexus Sc 430.

They drove to the hotel and saw Macy at the front desk. "Good afternoon. How may I help you?" Macy said with a strained smile.

"We're checking in under the name Ken Maguire." Callen said showing his identification.

"Here are your keys. You are in room 417. Please let call the front desk if you need anything." Macy said motioning for a bellhop.

They went up to their room and got settled in. Callen decided to go downstairs and work out a bit while Lizzy went to the local shopping center to get acquainted with some of the other wives of the people at the hotel to get some information.

Both of them came back to the hotel room at the same time. Callen went into the bathroom and turned on the shower but he realized that he had forgotten his shampoo in the room. Lizzy walked into the bathroom from the other room and started getting ready for a shower. She got under the spray and started wetting her hair. She didn't hear Callen come back into the bathroom and Callen didn't notice Lizzy's clothes on the floor. He pulled back the shower curtain and saw Lizzy under the shower spray. He stared at her for a second and Lizzy did the same. Lizzy reacted quickly and pulled the shower curtain back into place.

"Sorry." Callen said quickly before leaving the bathroom quickly. They didn't speak for the rest of the night.

The next day, the two started investigating and managed to come up with a couple of suspects who could be the mole. Fortunately for them, all of their suspects were going to be in the dining hall at the same exact time. Thanks to Macy, they managed to get in at the same time. As Callen was getting ready, he said, "Lizzy, if there is going to be an attempt on the Governor's life, it's going to be tonight."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because if they are going to make a move its better to be in a public place. The assassin will have a good chance to get away since everyone will be panicking. So get ready."

"Don't worry. I have you by my side so I'll be fine." She said with a smile.

They went down into the dining room and nodded to Sam and Kensi. Just as Callen predicted. The assassination attempt was that night. Lizzy couldn't help but admire how calm Callen was under this type of pressure. She held her gun but her hands were shaking. She then saw someone approaching the governor with a gun in his hand. She knew it wasn't one of the governor's men and she aimed her glock and fired. Lizzy couldn't stop shaking for a minute and Callen had to help her put her gun down.

Later that night, after writing their reports and Lizzy going through her first psych exam with Nate, she was having a difficult time falling asleep. She got dressed and drove to Venice Beach. She went up to Callen's apartment and knocked. When Callen opened the door, it was obvious that he had been sleeping. "Sorry, G. Did I wake you?"

"Lizzy? It's o.k. I was actually getting a glass of water. Do you want to come in?"

"Yeah."

Lizzy walked in and sat at the island while Callen took down out two bottles of beer from the fridge. He opened both and handed one to Lizzy. "You look like you could use a drink." He said before taking a swig from the second bottle. "What's on your mind?"

Lizzy sighed but said, "How did you feel after you first killed someone?"

"To be honest. I was scared. But afterwards, I realized that I didn't kill him, I saved someone else. That's what helps me get through this job otherwise I would go crazy."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

He walked around the island and stood in front of her. "Lizzy, look at me." Callen said lifting her chin so she had to look directly into his eyes. "Don't think of it as murder. You saved the governor's life today. You did a major public service." Lizzy didn't know if it was the heat of the moment, or loneliness, or Callen's understanding that drove her to tenderly kiss him. Callen deepened the kiss and while he set both of their beers aside. He picked her up in his arms and carried her to his bedroom.


	53. Chapter 53

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 53

Lizzy was lying on the bed with Callen kissing her deeply. She had her eyes closed and couldn't help but smile. As Callen was kissing her, he moved his kisses downward along her jaw and eventually reached her stomach. The kisses tickled her causing her to giggle but moan at the same time. "Do you like that, baby?" The voice didn't sound like Callen, but someone else. Lizzy opened her eyes and looked up at Callen. Except she didn't see Callen, she saw Tony. "No matter what you do, you can't forget." Tony said.

Lizzy gasped and opened her eyes. She looked around the room and saw Callen asleep beside her. She saw that it was 4:30 a.m. "It was just a dream." She said to herself. She got up and went to take a cold shower. Hopefully that would help her so should could get back to sleep. It was now the end of August and Lizzy and her mother was going to go to Arizona to help her sister Chloe get set up for college. Chloe had called excited the other day about going to Arizona State with her now boyfriend, Benny who was going to be playing baseball there. Lizzy knew it was only a matter of time until Chloe and Benny confessed their feelings for one another. Their feelings for each other were so pure and uncomplicated. Lizzy wished her feelings for Tony would be like that. She wished she could just hate him so she could move on with her life but there was still a large part of her that loved him with all of her being and that was the part that wouldn't let go.

Lizzy went to her grandmother's house to pick up her mother so they could drive down to Arizona. Lizzy opened the door with her key and walked inside. "Mom, you here?"

"I'm out here, sweetheart." Lizzy walked outside on the lanai and found her mother wearing a loose summer dress. Lizzy smiled upon seeing her mother look so comfortable. She hadn't dressed like that in years.

"Hey, you ready to go?"

"Yes. Your grandmother is letting us borrow her mercedes so we can get down there in one piece. Then I'm going to get on a plane with your father, Rachel, Jason, and Annie from Arizona back to D.C. While you drive the car back to L.A. I still wish you were coming back to D.C. with us."

"I'm not ready to go back just yet."

"You're not ready or is there someone you want get close to... or is it someone you want to run from?"

"Mom, I love you, but with all do respect, I'm an adult now and I don't need to answer any questions I don't want to. We should get going."

They drove the Arizona in silence except for the radio and the occasional small talk. In Lizzy's opinion they couldn't get to Arizona fast enough. The last thing she needed was her mother telling her what she should do about her love life.

Lizzy knew that she loved Tony and she always would. That not only scared her but also confused her. She was still so angry but couldn't get over her feelings for him. When they finally got there, they saw their family taking Chloe's things out of the rental cars. Gibbs turned around with a box in his hand and was the first to notice them. "Hello, beautiful." He said with eyes only for Jenny.

"Hi, handsome." Jenny said when Gibbs was standing right in front of her. He picked her up and hugged her tightly.

"I missed you, Jen. D.C. hasn't been the same without you."

"Vance hasn't been causing too much trouble has he?" Jenny asked.

"Nah, he just struts around like he owns the place and stuck me with such an incompetent team that I have to do everything by myself."

"What do you mean an incompetent team?" Lizzy asked. This was the first time she had heard about her father's new trainees.

"After what happened in May, Vance split up my team by sending McGee to cyber crimes, terminating Ziva's mossad liaison position, and making DiNozzo an agent afloat."

"Wait, what? Tony's an agent afloat?"

"Yes, didn't you tell her, Jen?"

"I didn't get a chance to."

"O.k. can we please not talk about anything depressing please and help Benny and I set up our rooms."

"Sure, honey." Jenny said.

"Hey, Benny, let me give you hand with your boxes." Gibbs said walking the young man to his dorm room.

"You think dad is giving Benny the 'if you touch my daughter, I'll kill you talk'?" Annie asked when they were out of earshot.

"Probably." Rachel said.

"Oh God." Chloe said.

After taking the last box upstairs, Lizzy went downstairs claiming to need air. She took out her phone and scrolled through her contacts. She came to stop at a specific one and just stared at the number. Even though she had it memorized, she was still looking at Tony's number debating whether to call him or not. She hadn't heard from him in months and she just wanted to hear his voice. She made the decision to call him. The phone went straight to voicemail. She hung up not wanting to leave a message but before she put her phone away, she called him again. The number went to voicemail straight away again but this time Lizzy gathered up all of her courage and left him a message. "Ummm... Hi, Tony. I was just wondering how you were. If you were o.k. on that ship. I'm just checking in. O.k. Bye." She said awkwardly before hanging up. When she turned around she saw her dad standing there with a knowing look on his face.

"Come on, kid. Let's go for a walk." As they were walking, they were silent until Gibbs said, "Lizzy, you don't need to rush coming back to D.C. Get yourself together and figure everything out and then come back. Take some time for yourself. It's o.k. to be a bit selfish."

"Thanks, Dad. But I thought marines didn't run from their problems. Why are you condoning me to do it."

"Because I know you, Lizzy. You'll run but you'll always manage to find your way home. Just like when you were five and you said you were going to run away because you didn't like Sammy and Rachel getting all of the attention. You grabbed your red wagon and filled it with your toys and clothes and you went around the block. An hour later you were back and you told us all about this great big adventure that you had, but you said that you missed home."

"I had forgotten about that." She said with a laugh. "Did you really let me walk around the block by myself when I five?"

"Of course not. I followed behind you, hiding behind trees so you wouldn't see me." This caused Lizzy to laugh even more.

Tony was interrogating a suspected petty officer for bringing drugs onto the ship. He found that the guy wasn't guilty of anything except being in the wrong place at the wrong time. As the petty officer was walking out his cabin, the man noticed Tony's pictures. "Agent DiNozzo, is this your girlfriend?" He said pointing to a picture of Lizzy.

"What makes you think that?"

"Well her picture is in the dead center of all the pictures and you have multiple pictures of her on the wall. She's very beautiful. You're a lucky man."

"She is." and when the petty officer left, Tony quietly added, "I was." He took out his phone and went through his messages. The last one was from someone he least expected: Lizzy. He couldn't help but smile when he heard her voice. He wished he could see her, touch her, kiss her, but he knew he couldn't. He had to get out of this agent afloat position, not only because he couldn't take being at sea anymore and not having any privacy, but because if he was at sea, he wouldn't be able to see Lizzy and explain everything to her. He could tell her everything over the phone but she deserved to be told everything in person. And that was exactly what he was going to do.


	54. Chapter 54

AN: This chapter and possibly the next chapter will mainly focus on Tony's perspective. Don't worry Lizzy and Tony will be reunited soon. So be patient with me.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 54

It was now the end of September and Gibbs was still not reunited with his team. The good thing was that Jenny was back and was being eased back into her position as Director. Soon enough Vance would be gone and Jenny would bring Tony back from his agent afloat position. She had already brought Ziva and McGee back, now they just needed Tony.

The truth of the matter was that not only was his team incomplete because Tony wasn't there, but his family was incomplete as well. He not only thought of Tony as a son after all these years but he was the love of his daughter's life. If Tony came back then maybe Lizzy might return to D.C. as well.

He did tell Lizzy to stay in L.A. and figure everything out but he couldn't deny how much he missed his daughter. Talking to her on the phone once a week was not enough for him. He wanted her in the same zip code as him.

"Special Agent Gibbs." He looked up and saw Jenny and Vance standing in front of his desk.

"Yes, Madam Director." He teased.

"You and Officer David are going to go and assist Agent DiNozzo with the investigation. Agent McGee will monitor the situation from here. Pack a bag, you two are leaving in an hour."

Gibbs nodded and walked to his car. Before he could drive out of the parking lot, The passenger side door opened and Jenny sat down. "Something I can help you with, Madam Director?"

"You know I hate being called that."

"I know." He said before revving up the car.

He drove home quickly and went upstairs to grab his marine service bag that was always packed in the case of an emergency. Jenny came into the room and watched him as he checked to make sure he had everything in his bag. Gibbs sighed and said, "I don't feel right leaving you. You just got back from L.A. and I want to be here with you. You're still healing."

"Jethro, I've been back for over a month now. This is your job don't feel guilty. I will always be healing but the one good thing is that I will always have you and our girls. You five are what I need to get through what happened to me."

"I never want to leave you again, Jen. I never want to lose you again."

"You will never lose me." She said wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him passionately and giving him a proper send off.

On board the U.S.S. Seahawk, Tony had briefed Ziva and Gibbs and they were now starting their investigation about the missing petty officer.

Gibbs left Ziva and Tony alone to talk to the commander and the naval officer in charge of admittance on to the ship. When Gibbs walked away, Ziva started asking Tony the tough questions. "Are you still feeling guilty about what happened to Jenny?"

"Not as much as before."

"Are you still drinking?"

"Not as much."

"Have you talked to Lizzy?" When Tony remained silent and started walking away, Ziva said, "Tony, have you spoken to her?"

"Not since what happened in the desert." Tony said.

"Why? Why would you just let her walk away? You should have fought for her."

"I guess in that moment I felt that she deserved better than me. And what do you mean I should have fought for her?"

"I heard from Rachel that Lizzy is now living in Los Angeles and she is shedded up with another agent."

"The term is shacked, shacked up with another man. And what agent?"

"He is part of the undercover unit. I believe his name is Callen. I'm not sure. She has been with him for a few months now."

"A few months? We only broke up four months ago! What's a few months?"

"I don't know, Tony. Maybe if you talked to her, you would know and if you had talked to her sooner, she wouldn't even be with someone else now and be waiting for you in D.C."

"You're... You're right. Ziva, can we just drop this."

"I'm sorry, Tony. And you do deserve her." Ziva said before walking away.

Eventually the case was solved and Tony was allowed to return home. Ever since he got back to D.C., he wanted to call Lizzy but he didn't know what to say to her. As he was sitting at his desk contemplating about his situation with Lizzy, the team was given a new case that involved them going to Stillwater, Pennsylvania. He wanted to go and see Gibbs' hometown but he was stuck helping Abby. He was anxiously awaiting a call from Ziva and McGee to tell him what it was like there.

That call couldn't have come soon enough and when Tony learned that Gibbs' father was still alive, he had to get out there and meet him. When he got there, he saw that Gibbs' father was different from Gibbs. As he was looking around, he saw a picture of Lizzy with her grandfather when she was about ten years old. He kept looking at the picture and it didn't go unnoticed by Jackson Gibbs.

"So you're the young man that had my oldest granddaughter so smitten?"

"Excuse me?" Tony asked confused.

"Lizzy, you're the agent she has been seeing aren't you?"

"Yeah I was."

"What happened?"

"I made a mistake and I guess I ruined my chances with her."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that. When Lizzy loves someone, she loves them whole heartedly. Trust me when I say that it is not so easy to turn those feelings on and off. She is a lot like my son and daughter-in-law. They have loved each other since the day they met. When Lizzy first talked about you, I knew that it was the exact same situation. Don't give up on her just yet."

"Thank you, Jackson." Tony said.

"Hey, DiNozzo, stop socializing and get back to solving the case." Gibbs said.

"Sorry, boss."


	55. Chapter 55

AN: O.k. people. Lizzy and Tony will be having their long awaited confrontation next chapter as well as Tony and Callen and Rachel's wedding to Jason is on the horizon. If you want another update this weekend, then help me get to 200 reviews. No pressure or anything. ;P.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or NCIS: LA

Chapter 55

It was now October but it was still sunny and warm in California. Lizzy had taken to jogging in the mornings due to the nice weather but to also clear her head. She was still having dreams about Tony and they were getting worse. Last night she had a dream about her and Tony doing it in the shower at NCIS. This had to stop soon but she still loved Tony.

She came back to Callen's apartment and took a shower. When she got out, she heard Callen talking on the phone to someone. "Oh, hold on, she's right here." Callen handed her the phone.

"Who is it?" Lizzy asked.

"It's your sister and Tessa." Callen said with a smile seeing Lizzy getting excited about talking to her family and best friend. He left the room to give her some privacy.

"Hey, what's going on? How are things in D.C.?"

"Things are o.k. But I'm freaking out a bit." Rachel said.

"Why are you freaking out a bit? What's going on?" Lizzy asked.

"Well, the flower order got mixed up with another wedding's, the seating arrangement is all off, and my dj quit last night."

"Not to mention, the place we usually get the spices for the company closed down two weeks ago. So we have to rethink some of the menu options." Tessa said.

"Wow, and you're only freaking out a bit, Rachel? What happened to bridezilla?"

"Well, I would freak out a little less if my maid of honor/caterer would be in the same zip code as me. You could help me with all of this crap and maybe we would be able to get your dress fitting down as well."

"I have that all figured out." Lizzy said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. There is the exact same dress boutique on Rodeo Drive that you are going to in D.C. Chloe and I are going to go there for our dress fittings and they will send the dresses to D.C. I already checked with them so don't worry. As for the dj, try Robert Duncan, the man is amazing on the tables. And for the food, go to Chinatown and look for Tokeia Kelly. I've gone to him before and he has the best plethora of spices out there. He's a bit on the pricey side, but trust me you won't regret going to him. How is that for taking care of my maid of honor duties?" She said teasingly.

"See, that is why I need you here. You know all of these that others just don't. Please tell me you are coming home soon." Rachel said.

"Yeah, who am I going to talk about all the guys that I'm seeing if you're not here?" Tessa said.

"Tess, we're not in high school anymore. And you can call me anytime, you two know that. It's just that... it's just that I'm not ready to come home yet. I need to think things through and re-prioritize."

"What is there to think about? Or is it because Tony is back or is it because you're now falling for Callen?"

"This has nothing to do with G or Tony but it has everything to do with me. I need to think about what I want. It's something I haven't done in a long time, so if I'm being a little bit selfish, then I'm sorry. And I'm not falling for G. I mean I really like him but not in any way that I loved Tony. And that is another problem. I'm still trying to sort out my feelings for him when I'm still very angry with him."

"O.k. fine, but eventually that excuse is going to get old and I'm going to drag your ass back here." Rachel said seriously.

"Don't worry. I'll come back eventually. I just need to be ready and I will be there for your wedding. I have to go alright. I'll talk to you two later." She hung up the phone and sighed. She knew her sister and best friend were right and she needed to go home soon, but she had unwittingly established a life for herself here, and she was also avoiding going back to D.C. because she didn't want to see Tony just yet.

Meanwhile, Tony had been dating constantly to try and get Lizzy off his mind. He knew that he had to move on but he couldn't. She was something about else, she was even more different than Wendy, a woman who he thought he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but that was before he met Lizzy. She was his light, his heart, and his world. He wished he could fix things but no one would even tell him where she was. Rachel had even threatened to cut his balls off if he went anywhere near her sister at this point. She blamed him for her sister leaving and maybe he was to blame, but he just wanted a chance to explain everything to her.

After having a talk with Dr. Tara Banks, he realized that he couldn't brood on this forever. It wasn't healthy for him or for Lizzy. So tonight, instead of going on a date, he went out with Ziva, McGee, Abby, and Palmer for drinks at the bar.

As they were laughing and joking around, Tony receives a call from Annie Gibbs. "Hey, hold up guys. Annie, what's going on?" Tony asked.

"Tony, help!" Annie screamed.

"Annie, where are you?"

"At 1923 Magnolia Drive in Georgetown. There are a lot of cars out front and... GET OFF OF ME!"

"Annie, don't worry I'm coming to get you now." Tony hung up his phone and ran to his car.

"Tony, what happened?" Ziva asked.

"It's Annie. It sounded like she was at a party she didn't want to be at. Right before I hung up it sounded like someone was trying to... anyways I have to go and get her before something happens to her."

The five of them arrived at the party and saw underage drinking and drugs everywhere. They started moving upstairs trying to find Annie. "NO! GET OFF ME!" They heard someone yell.

"Shut up, you, stupid bitch! And stop crying!" They heard. When they opened the door, they saw a guy on top of Annie. Her shirt was ripped and her jeans were on the floor. The guy was trying to take off her bra and underwear but Annie kept struggling. "Stop struggling! I said STOP!" And the guy hit Annie across the face. Tony charged at the guy and ripped him off of Annie. He then punched the guy and Ziva kicked him in the balls. McGee took off his trench coat and put it around her to cover her up while Abby quickly collected Annie's things from the room.

Tony came over and picked the girl up and carried her outside onto the lawn. "Annie, he didn't... he didn't rape you did he?" When Annie shook her head no, Tony sighed relieved. "McGee, stay here with her. Palmer, make sure she is o.k. Ziva, with me."

Tony went back upstairs with Ziva in tow and found the guy that tried to rape Annie already getting busy with another girl. "Hey, get out of here." Tony said to the girl, showing her his badge. "You, let's go." Tony said.

"Man, what the hell, I was about to get some pussy. If you want that frigid bitch than take her but at least don't be an asshole and take the girls that put out."

"Maybe you didn't hear me. I said get up, NOW!"

"Fine." The guy got up and was hit in the back of the head by Ziva for being sassy.

"Let's go." Tony grabbed the guy by the back of his collar and dragged him onto the roof. The guy wasn't wearing pants, just boxers, and Tony grabbed the guy and with Ziva's help held him upside from the top of the house.

"What are you two crazy! Pull me back up! What do you want?!"

"Hey, Annie, this jackhole has something he wants to say to you. Say sorry."

"I'm sorry! Oh God, I'm sorry!"

"Say no means no."

"No means no!"

"Good." Tony then pulled the guy back up and whispered in his ear, "If you ever think about doing this to another female, you think back to this moment."

Tony then walked downstairs and hugged Annie. "Come on, I'll take you home."

As they were driving, Annie turned to him and said, "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me, Annie. If you have any problems, you can call me for anything. Let me just ask what happened?"

"My friend, April was having a party and that guy that you had dangling from the roof, his name is Jake. We hung out a few times and he seemed really nice and then tonight, it was like he changed and I wasn't ready to have sex or anything so I called you, I figured it would be a safe bet to call you over anyone else since you would just scare the shit out of him but not actually kill him like my dad would have."

"Yeah. Here we are." Tony said pulling up in front of her house. "I'll walk you in and explain everything to your parents." When they got inside Tony told Jenny and Gibbs everything while Annie went upstairs to shower. "Boss, don't get mad at her about the party just listen to what she has to say. She's still really scared."

"Thank you, Tony." Jenny said before going to check on Annie.

"DiNozzo, really thank you for what you did for her. She's my baby and I couldn't ever imagine anyone hurting her like that and now thanks to you, that is one less threat to her safety."

"It's nothing, boss. I'll see you on Monday."

Before Tony could leave he heard Annie call his name. He turned around and looked at her. "Tony, I just wanted to say thank you again."

"It's nothing, kid. I'm just glad you're o.k."

She smiled and him and continued, "And I also wanted to say, don't give up on Lizzy. Bye, Tony.

Tony went home that night and watched the video of the Christmas he spent with the Gibbs family and couldn't help but smile when he saw how he proposed to Lizzy and the big smile on her face when he gave her the engagement ring. He sighed and shut off the T.V. and went to bed. He didn't realize that within a two months, Lizzy would be back in Washington.


	56. Chapter 56

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or NCIS: LA

Chapter 56

Lizzy had just finished up another case with the ops team. This case was about a prostitution ring that had doubled in size within L.A. Lizzy and Kensi had to go undercover to try and find the leader of the ring and they were very fortunate that this case went off without a hitch. It was her last case as an NCIS agent. It was two weeks before her sisters wedding and Lizzy still didn't feel ready to go back home. She was in another world here and she wasn't ready to go back to her reality but she continued to pack. She knew she had to go back and this was the best time to.

She had been on the phone for hours trying to get everything for Rachel's bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, and bachelorette party ready. She finally got everything set up and went back to packing. "Hey, how is everything going with the packing?" Callen said with a slight smirk seeing her struggling to pack all of her things.

"Oh things are just great. But I can't get this suitcase closed." She said sitting down on it to try and zip it up.

"Here, let me help you." He said coming and helping her close the suitcase.

After successfully closing the suitcase, Lizzy jumped off it and said, "I really wish you were coming with me, I need a good friend with me. I feel like I'm about the enter the lion's den." Callen and Lizzy tried dating but they realized they were better off as friends but they were two lonely friends so on occasion they would sleep together but it didn't mean anything other than the two of them caring about one another. It wasn't love and it wasn't lust, well not fully, it was too complex to explain but they were happy with the arrangement.

The main reason why it never became anything more than a friends with benefits relationship was because they knew that eventually Lizzy was going to go back to the east coast and neither one of them wanted a long distance relationship. Another reason was that they both knew that Lizzy was still in love with Tony, although neither one of them would admit it.

"Yeah, about that, Hetty is going to the wedding with you tomorrow and she told me, well she actually demanded that I take some time off and and go to Washington with you and her. She already got my ticket, non-refundable."

"So, you're coming with me." She said with a smile and hugged him tightly.

"Yeah." He said with a chuckle. "Are you nervous?"

"About what specifically cause I'm nervous about a lot of stuff. I feel like everyone is angry but even worse, I feel like everyone is disappointed with me for staying away for so long. I know this for a fact, I was running from my life in D.C. I wanted to escape my life and enter another reality."

"Yeah, but even Alice went home at the end of the story which is what you have to do now."

"Yeah, but I don't want to just yet. And not because I like running from my past but because I have established a life here and friends and I don't want to leave them behind."

"Hey, I've been part of several different agencies and I've made connections with people in all of them and it was hard to walk away from all of the friends that I had made but I knew that it was time to move on and they were understanding and happy for me just like how we feel about you going back to D.C. We don't want you to go but we know you have to. Plus, you have to face Tony. I know that is your reason for leaving your life behind in D.C. You loved him so much but you're so pissed at him for what happened. You need to forgive him. Leaving your old life is fine and all but you shouldn't leave it just to run away from someone who you love and who loves you back."

"Thanks, Callen. And how did you know that I loved Tony because I never told you that. I just told you that I was dating my Tony who was a member of my father's team. I never said anything about love?"

"I figured from the way you talked about him. It was the something in your eyes it fave it away."

"You sound like my father."

"I will take that as a compliment. Your dad is the best agent I've ever seen."

The next day, Lizzy, Callen, Hetty, and the rest of Lizzy's family went on the same plane to D.C. When they got there, they met up with Chloe and Benny who had taken a flight in from Arizona. They had their last final four hours before their flight so they looked just about ready to collapse when they landed in Washington.

Gibbs had called and offered to pick up Chloe, Benny, and Lizzy but they told him they would take a cab. Callen, Hetty, and the Shepard family took cabs to the Four Seasons Hotel while the three of them took cabs to Georgetown. It was late when they each got home but everyone was still up waiting for them in their respective houses.

Rachel and Lizzy were talking for hours long after Jason had gone to bed. "So, how is the house hunting going?" Lizzy asked.

"It's so hard. We can't find the right one and it is driving us crazy."

"Here's an idea, you two love living here. You two have established your lives here already, why don't both of you just live here until you find the right house."

"So you are going to live here with two newlyweds? Your going to listen to us fu-"

"No. God no. I'll stay with Tessa or something until I find another place to live. You just focus on you and Jason right now. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"What did I just say?" Lizzy said with an eye roll.

"Thanks, Lizzy."

The bridal shower had passed now it was time for the rehearsal dinner. Lizzy was wearing a dark blue dress with her hair up in and elegant bun. Callen was going to be her date that night to make it a little bit easier on her and so she would have a friend for the night.

Once there, Lizzy was engulfed in a big by Abby Scuito. "Lizzy! Oh my god. I'm so happy you're back. Things just haven't been the same without you. Tony will be so-"

"Abby, it's great to see you too, but I don't want to talk about that now. This is my friend, Callen. G, this is Abby Scuito, the best forensic scientist you could ever meet."

Abby just glared at the man making him uncomfortable. "Callen, can you get me drink?" Lizzy said trying to diffuse a potentially volatile situation.

"Sure."

"Lizzy, are you bed hopping from agent to agent now?"

"Abby, G is a good friend of mine."

"Is he the reason you haven't come back sooner?"

"Me being in California for as long as I was has nothing to do with Callen and has everything to do with me. I need to think things through. I needed to figure out what I wanted. Abby don't judge him too harshly, he is an amazing friend to me?"

"O.k. fine. He still loves you, you know?" Abby said looking around the room. "Tony, I mean. He hasn't stopped staring at you since you walked in."

Tony went to the bar for the fifth time that night for another scotch and he had only been there for an hour. He was starting to feel the effects of the boozed but he didn't care. He knew Lizzy was going to be there that night and he didn't think he could face her so he hid behind the bottle. When he sat down next to McGee and Palmer and started nursing his drink, he heard Palmer say, "Tony, you have to see this."

"What, Jimmy?"

Jimmy pointed to the door. Tony followed his finger and saw Lizzy standing there. She looked even more beautiful than ever that night. His mouth felt dry and he couldn't speak. He couldn't take his house eyes off of her.

"Who is that guy with her?" McGee asked.

"Yeah, I think he is that Agent Callen, he's the head of the undercover unit in L.A." Jimmy said.

He clenched his fists and tightened his jaw when he saw Callen kiss Lizzy's cheek and when he placed his hand on Lizzy's lower back. He left her with Abby when she showed up. A few minutes after the two of them talked, she looked over his way. She looked into his eyes and it felt like time had stood still. She broke eye contact first and continued to talk to Abby until Callen came back who escorted her to her seat. Lizzy eventually got up and greeted everyone but she avoided their table like the plague.

Lizzy hugged Ziva and chatted with her for a bit before returning to her table for dinner. During dinner, she stood up to give a toast to the bride and groom. It was short and sweet and it talked about how they were right for each other. After all of the toasts, people started getting up and going to the dance floor. Callen offered his hand to Lizzy and they danced for three songs before Lizzy excused herself and Tony saw her go towards the bathrooms. Tony finished his drink and followed her to the bathroom. He waited outside the door until he Lizzy came out.

Lizzy was smoothing out her dress as she walked out of the bathroom. Lizzy looked up and gasped when she saw how close they were. They looked into each other's eyes and it was a long time before either of them spoke. "Hello, Tony."

"Hi, Liz. We need to talk."


	57. Chapter 57

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or NCIS: LA

Chapter 57

They just stared at each other for a moment before Liz tried to walk past him. Tony grabbed her wrist and held tightly. "I said we needed to talk."

"Now, you want to talk, Tony. Where was this overwhelming need to talk seven months ago when I wanted to talk to you? That's right you shut me out. And now you want to talk. Well guess what, I don't want to talk. Now let go of me."

Lizzy tried to wriggle her wrist out of his grasp but he wouldn't let go. Instead he pulled her closer to his body. "I wanted to talk to you but I didn't know what to say."

"And you know what to say now? I seriously doubt that, Tony."

"I'm telling the truth, Liz. Please just hear me out."

"Tony, I just can't. You had your chance to talk. We're done."

"Really, is that why you immediately jumped into bed with another agent after breaking up with me?"

"G, is not a part of this and it wasn't immediately after we broke up."

"Really? From what I heard you have been screwing around with him for months now."

"Are you spying on me?!"

Their argument was increasing in volume and people were starting to notice. Callen, McGee, Palmer, Ziva, Abby, and Lizzy's sisters and Jason approached them cautiously.

"No I am not spying on you."

"Then how did you know that I was seeing G?"

"It doesn't matter where I heard it from. The point is I don't like what I've been hearing."

"Well that is the great thing about not being in a relationship anymore, it doesn't matter what you think."

Callen saw that situation was becoming more dangerous and and he knew that this was not the time or the place for these two come to grips with their feelings for one another and so he decided to intervene. "Lizzy, is everything alright?" He asked catiously.

"Oh look who showed up, Elizabeth's knight in shining armor." Tony said sarcastically.

"Everything is fine, G. I'll just be another minute."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'll meet you at the table."

"Alright." Callen walked away and he ushered everyone else with him so the two could have a minute alone to finish their conversation.

"Tony, this is not the place to discuss anything."

"When is the time to discuss this then?" Tony said getting angry.

"I don't know, Tony, right now I have to focus on my sister's wedding and get back into the swing of things at work. I need to focus on me right now before I can even think about what happened between us and get into it with you."

"Liz, come on. I need to talk about this with you. I need to tell you about what happened that day in the desert and the days afterward."

"Tony, no. I can't... I don't want to hear it. Not now anyways."

"Well, you didn't have to give the ring back." Tony said taking the ring back out and trying to give it to her.

"Tony, no. It's too messy now. I can't take that ring back. There are a lot of things we need to overcome before we can become comfortable with one another again and we can't just pick up where we left off like you want to."

"How do you know I want to get back together?"

"Why else would you still have the ring then if you didn't want to get back together?"

"I brought it with me today to give it to you."

"Well you shouldn't have. Tony, I have to go."

"Liz wai-" but Lizzy had already left the room. Tony slumped against the wall and put his head into his hands. He couldn't go back into that room and watch her in the arms of another man. He had to go home. He didn't know how he was going to go to Rachel's wedding without trying to throttle Callen for running his hands all over Lizzy. He still loved her and he knew that they should be together. By the time Tony got home, he was exhausted.

Lizzy went back into the room and immediately went to the bar. Callen tried to talk to her but it was like she had just shut down. So Callen went and got the one person who would be able to get her to talk.

Lizzy did three consecutive shots of tequila to calm her nerves after her ordeal with Tony. She always wondered what she would do in if this moment ever came up. She always thought she would break down and cry or run into his arms or anything else. She didn't expect to fight him the way she did. She didn't think she was particularly mean but she wasn't as understanding or as kind as she should have been and she knew that. With all of that said though, she was still so angry with him. That's why she was not at the bar drinking her sorrows away.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see her father standing there. "Lizzy, let's dance."

"Dad, you hate dancing."

"Not when it's with one of my favorite girls. Now come on."

Her father danced with her and got her to open up about what had happened with Tony that night. "Dad, do you think it was cruel of me to say the things I said to Tony."

"Not cruel, kiddo, just a bit mean spirited."

"I don't know what to do."

"Lizzy, you aren't going to have all the answers but that's why me and your mom are still around, so we can help you with these problems. I don't care if you're ninety, you can come to me for help."

"Like you'll be alive when I'm ninety." Lizzy said jokingly.

"Brat." Gibbs said hugging her tightly.

The bachlorette party was insane. Lizzy got up on stage and danced with one of the strippers and she had a great time with her sisters and friends.

Now it was time for the wedding.


	58. Chapter 58

AN: O.k. guys. I need to ask, do you want a steamy night between Lizzy and Tony. It won't be for the next chapter (unless you guys want one) but a chapter down the road. Let me know.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 58

The day before the wedding, Lizzy and her family, did as much preparation for the wedding as they could. This included getting their nails done, getting waxed, making sure the flowers and the food were being prepped, the hall and church were decorated, and the photographer, videographer, and the dj were ready for tomorrow.

Lizzy sat there and saw how happy her sister was and couldn't help but think that in a few months that could have been her before everything was shot to hell. Why was everything so screwed up between her and Tony? Why didn't she talk to him when he reached out to her? Why did she push him away? Was she that much of a masochist? But then she chastised herself for selfishly thinking about herself when this was her sister's day. She needed to stop herself from thinking about this.

That night she had another fitful sleep and woke up in a cold sweat. She dreamt about her and Tony again only this time it was about them on their honeymoon in the Dominican Republic. They were making love on the beach with the waves crashing over them. This was the most erotic thing Lizzy had ever dreamt of. The intensity and love between them was maddening and Lizzy wished she could make it into a reality but she realized that it was not just Tony's fault but hers as well for destroying their relationship.

Lizzy saw that it was five in the morning and she knew there was no way she was going to fall back asleep. She got up and dressed in sweats. Maybe a run would help her clear her head. She ran a longer path than usual, that the sun was shining brightly by the time she passed the park that was only six blocks from the apartment.

As she was running by the park, she saw a couple kissing passionately. They looked like they had been running together but had stopped to share their love for each other. Lizzy stopped for a second to simply watch them. Their love looked so amazing and she wished they didn't ruin it the way she had ruined hers.

She didn't know how she was going to face Tony after what happened a week ago. She didn't even if Tony was going to be there today. A part of her hoped she would see him today just to simply see him. As much as she wanted to deny it, she missed him. That is the most honest she has been with herself for a very long time.

By the time she got home, it was seven and she quickly took a shower so her sister would be able to get into the shower after her and they could go to their parents brownstone in Georgetown.

The day was hectic. It didn't seem like there were enough hours to prepare everything but at the same time, it seemed like time was moving more slowly than ever, like the wedding couldn't get there fast enough. By the time they drove to the church, Rachel was an anxious, nervous wreck.

As Lizzy walked down the aisle in time with the music she smiled and looked around at all of the people in front of her. It was then that she noticed him. Tony had come to the wedding. She felt his eyes burning her skin and she couldn't help but suppress a shiver. Even as she stood at the altar and Rachel was walking down the aisle, while everyone's eyes were on Rachel, Tony's eyes were glued to Lizzy, and she could feel them. After a moment, Lizzy looked at him and couldn't help but get lost into his green eyes. He smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile back. The two of them were in their own world and they didn't even realize it.

Lizzy's trance was broken when Hannah, Rachel's best friend, gave her a small shove as if to say to pay attention to what was going on with Rachel and Jason.

She looked at her sister's happy face and couldn't help but feel joy, pride, and a bit of longing.

"And do you, Jason, take Rachel Jennifer Gibbs to be your lawfully wedded wife..."

After the two exchanged vows, the priest said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Everyone clapped and cheered when the two kissed.

After taking pictures for an hour, the bridal party made their way to the hall and waited for the dj to announce them.

The first dance, was the father daughter dance. Usually the bride and groom's first dance was much after dinner, but Gibbs beckoned Jason forward, and gave Rachel's hand to Jason. He whispered something into Jason's ear and then motioned for the dj to play the song the two had selected for the occasion.

After a few more dances, the couple sat down for dinner and the best man gave his speech. After he finished his speech, he sat down and it was time for Lizzy to give hers. She took a deep breath and got up and gave her speech. "Rachel, I love you. You're my baby sister. For a long time, you have been one of my best friends. I always felt that I could count on you for anything. You were the best sister a person could ask for. I remember when we were just children, you convinced me to put hair dye in our father's shampoo bottle. He walked around with green hair for a month. Even from a young age you have had this zest for life and were headstrong. As you became a teenager, the men that you dated, tried to change your personality to fit this ideal woman but you remained strong and I remember you even telling me that one day you would find a man who would love you for you. This included your faults and personality. From a young age, you were never a cynic when it came to love and you always believed that you would find someone who would love and accept you for you. And you did. The love between you two is raw, pure, layered, and passionate. I can only wish and hope that the two of you remember this moment in not just good times but in the bad as well. I love you two and hope you nothing but blissful joy for the rest of your lives. I love you guys. My sister and new brother, ladies and gentlemen."

Everyone clapped and Rachel and Jason got up to hug Lizzy. After dinner was cleared away, people started dancing until dessert was served. As Lizzy was dancing with McGee, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked behind her and was met with these intense green eyes. The same green eyes that have been haunting her for months now.

"May I cut in?" He asked McGee.

McGee nodded and let Tony take over the dancing. He spun her around and held her tightly to his body. They danced in silence for a moment for Tony spoke up. "I liked your speech. It was beautiful."

"Thank you. I was having trouble thinking of what to say and I was nervous."

"It didn't show."

Lizzy looked down and said, "Tony, I'm sorry for what happened at the rehearsal dinner. I shouldn't have said that to you. I should have heard you out. I should have listened. I guess I just wanted to get back at you for what happened all those months ago in the desert and I -"

"Lizzy, it's alright."

"No it's not. I should have listened to you. Tony I need to know what you were going to say to me that night."

"Lizzy, it doesn't matter. It's over and we can move on."

"It matters to me."

"O.k., Lizzy. We'll talk after the wedding is over. I don't want to ruin the mood of this beautiful wedding. Let's just dance."

After dancing together for a few more songs, Lizzy looked up at him and said, "After I broke things off, did you wonder what would have happened if we were still together?" She asked quietly.

"All the time." Tony responded quietly. He kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear. I'll take you home and then we'll talk. He then walked away from her and Lizzy couldn't help but feel this loss of warmth that she had when she had been in his arms.

She didn't know how she was going to make it through the rest of this wedding. She was counting the seconds.

As the wedding wore on, Lizzy became more anxious to have this talk with Tony. By the time it was over, Lizzy was more than ready to have this talk over with. As she got her coat and purse, Tony came up to her and said, "You ready?"

"Yeah." The two drove over to Lizzy's apartment in silence and stayed that way for a long time after going into her apartment. "We should get all of this talking over with, Tony."

"Yeah. We should."


	59. Chapter 59

AN: O.k. so half of the reviewers wanted a sexy scene so you got for those that wanted it. For those that don't want it. I've marked the section where things get too intense.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 59

The two were once again lost in an awkward silence. They didn't know what to say to one another and were afraid of saying the wrong thing and ruining what small progress they had made with one another. "O.k. we should talk about what happened in the desert." Tony said.

"Tony, I don't want to talk about that." Not wanting to relive the fact that her mother was almost killed all those months ago. She didn't need to hear the details of that whole ordeal.

"Liz, we have to talk about it. That's how our relationship went to hell. It was because of what happened in the desert." Tony said quickly losing his patience. Not because he was angry with Lizzy but because he wanted to explain to her what happened so they could move on. The sooner he did that the better. He felt like it was eating away at him.

"That's how our relationship went to hell? You are delusional if you think what happened in California is or has ever been our only problem." Lizzy started getting angry.

"What other problems have we had, Liz?"

"Oh how quickly we forget about a little woman named Jeanne."

"That is completely below the belt. I was drunk-"

"Right because that is a viable excuse." She snorted.

"Why am I on trial here? Besides I thought we had gotten passed that. Can we move on?"

"I was only trying to show you that California wasn't our only problem. But yeah we can move on."

"Liz, about what happened in California-"

"I told you I didn't want to talk about it."

"We have to talk about it. I need to explain my situation."

"Fine! Explain your position in my mother almost getting killed."

"When we were at Decker's funeral, I guess your mom saw something because her entire demeanor changed. She told us to give her the car keys and then she went off on her own. We kept calling her but she kept insisting that she was fine."

"But you knew that something was wrong! You didn't do anything!"

"She didn't want mine or Ziva's help. She wanted us to stay out of it!"

"So you were only thinking about yourself?"

"No! Your mother didn't want us involved."

"You should have followed her! You were her protection detail! You always pride yourself on being the senior field agent but you made a probie mistake. Ziva knew to follow her but you ignored her and all of the signs and relaxed your day away!"

"That's not fair, Liz! She didn't want me involved! She told me to stay away."

"Whatever, Liz, that is an issue you have to get into with your mother."

"Oh don't worry I will. There is plenty of angry to go around so don't worry she will be getting hers. But what hurt me the most was you shutting me out after the fact."

"I didn't know what to say to you. I was angry with your mom and about the situation and was afraid that I was going to take it out on you. That's why I couldn't talk to you."

"I needed you, Tony. And you weren't there. If you had just told me all of this I would have understood."

"I'm sorry, Liz. I never wanted to cause you any pain. I wish I could take it all back."

"I accept your apology."

"Now, let's talk about how you stayed in L.A. for six months?'

"I just wasn't ready to come home I needed to sort things out."

"It had nothing to do with Agent Callen?"

"Don't bring G into this he was just being a good friend!"

"Oh yeah he was being a good friend when he was between your legs!"

Lizzy was so angry with that comment that she slapped his face. "I can't believe you would say that you smug bastard!"

"It's true isn't it!"

"I hate you!" She slapped him again.

Before she could slap him again, Tony grabbed her wrist and held it tight. "Never say that again." Tony said tensely.

She tried to get herself loose from his grip and he wouldn't let go. Instead he pulled her closer until he was eye level with her. They were silent for a few moments and they just looked at each other intensely. Their breathing became heavier and then suddenly Tony pulled her flush against and kissed her breathless. Lizzy kissed him back just as passionately and they started taking each other's clothes off. Their kisses were sloppy, passionate, lustful, and hungry, but they were also filled with something else and they both felt it. It was filled with longing and love.

_**(Sexy scene here until the end of the chapter.)**_ Tony picked Lizzy up and held her up against the wall. He drove into her and it caused her to break the kiss and gasp. Her kept giving her long, hard thrusts that made her moan and cry out. Tony would alter between kissing her neck and grunting. All of sudden he heard Lizzy cry out louder than she had been and he knew that he had found her G spot. He smirked and kept hitting that spot over and over again wanting to hear her cry out like that. Tony could feel his release coming and lowered on of his hands to Lizzy's pussy and started rubbing her clit. She threw her head against the wall and she knew that there would be a bump there later but right now she didn't care. All she cared about was Tony and how he was making her feel. They both cried out one final time and then they both started panting from their activities from a few seconds ago. Tony and Lizzy smiled at each other and Tony carried her to bed where they continued to make love well into the early morning light.


	60. Chapter 60

AN: O.k. so at this point in this story, I'm going to jump around with the NCIS storyline. I already did that a couple of chapters ago when I mentioned Dr. Tara who did not make her NCIS debut until the end of season 6 but I placed her at the beginning. This chapter will have a guest appearance from a NCIS character that is not seen until season 7 but it is needed for the development of the story. The second thing I would like to address is that Tony and Lizzy are not fully back together again. They still have a lot of issues to work through so don't worry. I knew all of you were concerned that it was very quick for the amount of build up but they are not fully back together so they are not engaged again, yet. Wink Wink.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 60

Tony woke up early the next morning and smiled when he saw Lizzy lying on his chest. He had missed her and even though all of their issues weren't thoroughly resolved, he felt that they were somewhat getting back on track. He was being realistic though and knew that they still had a hell of a lot of work to do before they could get back to where they once were. He didn't even realize it but he had started stroking Lizzy's hair and the action had caused Lizzy to stir awake. She blinked and squinted her eyes when the sunlight hit her directly. She then looked up at him and whispered, "Good morning."

"Morning." Tony whispered just as quietly and leaned down to kiss her.

Before things could get too heated, Lizzy pushed at his chest and said, "Woah, slow down, cowboy. I think we did enough of that last night. I'm still really tired and sore. I need a break." Tony couldn't help but smirk when she said that. "Also, we need to work through out issues before we can even think about getting back together."

"I know." Tony said with a frown. He understood what she was saying and he knew that she was right but he just wanted to pick up where they left off. "I want us to get back to that place that were at before everything went to hell. I want us to be us again."

"Oh, Tony, I want that too. More than you know. I just need time before I feel like I can trust you again and before you can trust me again. I still love you and I always will no matter what happens between us." She said stroking his cheek.

"I love you too. I love you so much. I want us to be engaged again. I want to marry you."

"Tony, I want that too, but in spite of what happened I think we need to take things slow and let the chips fall where they may. I'm not saying no, I'm just not saying yes to getting married right now." Lizzy said when seeing Tony's downcast face.

"All right I can accept that as long as we give it another try."

"Of course. I can never deny us another chance. I know that there is still something between us. I want to play this out and see where it goes." Tony kissed her and hugged her tightly. He put his emotions into his actions and not his words.

"So did Rachel and Jason find a house?"

"No. Not yet. I'm going to move out of the apartment and let them live there as newlyweds."

"Where are you going to stay? Do you need a place to stay?"

"No. I'm good. Tessa is letting me stay with her. I don't know how long I'm going to stay there though."

"Why not?"

"She and her boyfriend go at it like gorillas."

"That's not a pretty picture, Liz. Why don't you just stay here?"

"Tony, it's too soon. I would like to but we need to sort things out before we can even think about moving in together."

"Well what better way is there for us to get back on track than to move in together?"

"Tony, I'm sorry it's just not the right time."

"All right. I understand."

"Come on. I'll make you breakfast." Lizzy said trying to make it up to him. She would do anything to get that wounded puppy look off his face. After making his favorite breakfast of a ham and cheese omelet, bacon, and pancakes. She left for her apartment. She didn't tell Tony, but she would be moving into Tessa's place within the next few days.

As her and Tessa were packing the last of her things, a few days later, Tessa noticed the mail that was addressed to Lizzy. "Hey, Lizzy, this is from that dj that you hired for your wedding."

"Can you open it for me and see what it says?" She asked curious to know what he would be sending them.

"It looks like a bill."

"What? I told my mom to cancel all of those plans."

"Maybe it's a mistake or something?" Tessa said.

"Yeah, probably. I'll ask my mom about it."

During Sunday dinner, Lizzy brought the subject up and Jenny said, "Sweetie, I don't know what to tell you. I canceled all of those plans. Don't worry I'll call and sort everything out."

"Thanks, mom."

When Lizzy left, Gibbs approached Jenny and said, "Jen, you never canceled those plans. Why did you tell Lizzy that you did?"

"Jethro, trust me. I know what I'm doing. It's just subtle manipulation. Those two belong together. They remind me of you and I when we were their age."

"Jen, just don't do anything that will hurt them anymore than they already are."

"Stop worrying, Jethro. You'll get wrinkles and even more gray hairs. I want you around for a long time."

"I will be."

Within the next couple of weeks, Lizzy and Tony started re-exploring their relationship. They called each other every morning and every night. They found themselves laughing at all of the silly things again and it just felt like last May before California ever came into the picture.

They had started having lunch together everyday now and enjoying themselves. Usually Tony would come and pick Lizzy up for lunch, but today, Lizzy had decided to go to NCIS and they could have more time to spend together during their lunch period. "Hey, Tony, you ready for lunch?"

"Yeah, just give me a second." Tony said gathering his things very quickly.

"Junior aren't you going to introduce us." An older gentleman, who resembled Tony somewhat said coming up to them. The rest of the squad room was watching their exchange with bated breath.

"Umm... yeah. This is Lizzy Gibbs. Liz, this is Anthony DiNozzo Sr. My father." Tony said with a slight grumble.

"Wait, your father? You're Tony's father?"

"Yes, I am. Are you Junior's girlfriend?"

"Junior? Oh yeah. I am." She said with a small smile.

"Are you two going to lunch?"

"Yes. Why don't you join us? I would like to get to know you better."

"I would like that too."

"Do you mind, Tony?"

Before Tony could answer, Senior said, "Of course Junior doesn't mind, do you, Junior?"

"No." Tony mumbled.

"Good. It's settled then." Senior offered Lizzy his arm and escorted her to the elevator and Tony raised his head to the heavens and sighed before reluctantly following the pair.


	61. Chapter 61

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 61

As they sat down at the restaurant in Georgetown, Tony groaned when his father yet again looked Lizzy up and down. "I must say that you are a very beautiful woman, Lizzy. What did my son say to convince you to go out with him?" Senior said giving her his most charming smile.

"Actually, I asked Tony out. He was afraid to ask me out."

"Afraid of a petite woman like this? Junior, I'm surprised at you."

"No, I was not afraid of her. I was intrigued by her. I was scared of what her parents would do to me."

"I've been there." Senior said with a chuckle while taking a sip of his wine. "What is that you do, Lizzy?"

"Oh, I'm a caterer."

"I bet you make love to the food." He said with a wink.

"Dad!" Tony hissed.

"That is Tony's opinion." She said returning Senior's smile.

"What about your parents? Any siblings?"

"Yes, I have three younger sisters. My mother is the Director of NCIS."

"Your mother is Jennifer Shepard? Well now I know where you received your looks from."

"Flattery will get you no where with me." She said teasingly. "My father is an agent at NCIS. Actually, he's the leader of the team Tony is on."

"Really? Junior, you romancing both of your bosses' daughter. You got that from me, son." Senior said with pride.

"Yeah." Tony grumbled.

"Are you alright, Tony?"

"Yeah, I guess I just have indigestion or something."

"Maybe we should get back to NCIS?" Lizzy suggested.

"Come on, we just got here. Junior will be alright Lizzy. We should get to know each other better. It's obvious you mean the world to Junior and I want to get to know the girl who stole my son's heart."

"Umm, o.k. as long as Tony is going to be alright then sure for a little while more." Lizzy said with a small smile. How was he able to read her and Tony's relationship so easily.

"I'll be fine, Liz." Tony said with a strained smile but it was obvious that he was uncomfortable.

"So how long have you and Junior been together?"

"Almost two years." Tony said.

"Well, there was a points where we were on breaks, but we are taking things slowly this time around and just focusing on one another." Lizzy said smiling at Tony and taking his hand hers.

"That's sweet. I haven't seen Junior this attached to a female since he was in high school and he had snuck a girl into his room thinking I wouldn't notice. Remember, son?"

"Oh, I remember." Tony said almost choking on his water. He didn't want Lizzy to know about his past indiscretions.

"I came home from work late one night to find them going at it on top of his dresser and then-"

"O.k. We don't really need to listen to the rest of this story." Tony said.

"Of course they can be embarrassing, son."

"So, Mr. DiNozzo-"

"None of that Mr. DiNozzo crap, Lizzy. Just call me Senior."

"O.k. Senior. So I kinda figured that was how Tony was when he was a teenager. What was he like when he was just a kid."

"Oh well then he was very close to his mother. His favorite movie was the Wizard of Oz when he was five. He was actually able to act out every scene on his own. When he was three he had this habit og running around completely naked. It took four maids and two butlers to catch him."

"O.k. I think that is enough of a trip down memory lane."

Lizzy giggled. "You never told me that, Tony."

"Yeah, well I didn't really know how to work that into conversation." Tony said sheepishly. "Anyways, we should head back."

"Yeah. Senior, what are you doing for the rest of the day?"

"Oh, well I was just going to go back to my hotel and then possibly go to the spa there or rest. Why do you ask?"

"Well, since Tony can't show you around D.C. I was thinking that maybe I could. You should sight see while you're still in town."

"I would like that very much. As long as Junior doesn't mind."

"Why would I mind?" Tony said with a tense smile.

"Great. After we drop Tony off I'll show you around D.C."

"I always wanted to see the Smithsonian and walk through Georgetown."

"I love the Smithsonian and no one knows Georgetown better than me. I grew up there."

"Really? Then you have to show me everything." He said with a smile and Tony just groaned. He didn't want his father to constantly be making passes at Lizzy.

Lizzy showed Senior around D.C. She could see why he was married so many times, Senior was even more of a charmer than his son. As Senior was telling her another story about Tony's childhood, she received a call from Tessa. "Woah, Tess, slow down. I can't understand you when you talk this fast." "What? How did that happen... O.k. I'm coming down there right now." She shut off her phone and looked at Senior. "I'm so sorry, Senior, but there is an emergency at work and I have to go look into it."

"Do you mind if I tag along? I would like to see where you work."

"Sure." Lizzy said with a smile.

"So what happened at work that they need you back there?"

"Oh, one of the waiters dropped all of the pastries for a birthday party and they need as much help as possible to get everything done in five hours."

"Seems like an impossible goal."

"I like a challenge."

"Just like my son." Senior said with a chuckle. "His mother was the same way."

"So, Senior, Tony mentioned that you were a businessman."

"Yes, I am."

"What kind of business are you involved in?"

"A little bit of everything really. Whatever I feel like will earn me a decent profit."

"Oh. So what is your current business venture?"

"I'm currently in the business of real estate and now I'm looking into other business ventures. I need to find a business where I make a very handsome profit especially now that Tony has you."

"Why would you need to make more money because of me?"

"After meeting you and seeing the look in Tony's eyes whenever he looks at you, I can see that he is madly in love with you. I'm surprised that he hasn't asked you to marry him yet."

"Well um, we actually did. We just hit some bumps in the road and now we're re-evaluating our relationship and seeing where it takes us."

"Well I have to say I don't think my son can find a better woman than you. Especially one that can cook." Senior said tasting one of the pastries Lizzy had offered him.

"Thank you. I should get you back to your hotel. It's getting late." Lizzy said after they had finished making all of the desserts.

"Of course." Lizzy walked Senior to his hotel room and Senior said. "I hope you and Junior will join me for dinner one night before I leave."

"I would like that."

"Well than hopefully I will see you soon."

A few hours later, after Tony caught his father sending an email about the saudi prince's assassination attempt, the two were sitting at the bar. They were having a heated discussion. "You never supported my decision to be a cop."

"I was supportive. I just didn't say anything."

"Exactly."

"What did you want me to say?"

"I don't know. Maybe like, 'Hey, Junior, I'm glad you found a career you're passionate about. I'm proud of you and what you're doing.' Something like that."

"How do you know I don't feel that way?"

"How would I? We never talk!" Tony took another swig of his beer and then said, "I mean, I get it. It must have been tough. Your wife dies, and you're left with an eight year old kid. But your solution, Dad, was to warehouse me in boarding schools and summer camps, and half the time I never knew where you were or what you were doing. I needed a closer relationship."

"You forgot that we took some great vacations together."

"Like the trip to Maui, where you left me in a hotel room for two days, and I was only twelve?"

"Come on, Junior, I explained that to you. I had to go back to the mainland, to close a deal!"

"With a rich divorcee, who was very attractive, as I recall."

"A deal is a deal." Senior said with a smile.

"How's my current stepmother."

"Ex-stepmother."

"Oh I'm sorry to hear that. I actually liked Karen."

"Phoebe. You missed one."

"Were you going to tell me about that?" Tony asked.

"I don't like to advertise my failures. But I want to talk about you and Lizzy."

"What about us?"

"She seems like a very decent, beautiful girl. I would like to know why you never told me about her and your engagement?"

"If Lizzy told you anything about the engagement, then you would know that we're not engaged anymore."

"About that, what happened?"

"I made a mistake, but she is giving me a second chance and that is all I care about. And if I ever do get the chance I will marry her. As for not telling you, as I said we barely talk anymore."

"I want to change that, Junior. Especially now with you being with someone like Lizzy. Seeing you two together. It reminds me of your mom and me before she passed on. If you love her son, tell her every day. That is the best advice I can ever give you."

"Thanks, dad. And don't worry I will."

A few days later, Senior left but not before having dinner with Lizzy and Tony. It wasn't as strained as last time but it certainly wasn't perfect. It was something they had to work on. Lizzy and Tony continued to work on their relationship and Tony started looking around for a house. He knew that it might seem fast but he wanted a permanent place for him and Lizzy to be able to be together. He had managed to find a place that the two of them could afford. It had four bedrooms and three bathrooms along with a big dining room and family room, and a kitchen that Lizzy was dreaming of having. It wasn't far from work for either of them and it was perfect for them. He just now had to bring Lizzy to see it and hope she wanted to move in with him.


	62. Chapter 62

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 62

Tony took Lizzy to see the house two days after doing a walk through himself. "Oh my god. This is my dream kitchen, Tony. This house is beautiful."

"So you like it?"

"Like it? I love it."

"Good. Because I put a down payment down on it."

"You did?"

"Yeah. And this place needs a lady of the house."

"Tony, are you asking me to move in with you?" She asked cautisouly.

"Yes. I am."

"Tony, we talked about this-"

"You know it is so easy to say no. But why not take a chance. A chance with me. We can get it right this time around. I love you and I want to be with you."

"O.k. Tony, what the hell? Let's do it."

"We're moving in together?"

"We're moving in together." Lizzy said before hugging Tony tightly and he picked her up and spun her around.

"I love you." He said kissing her passionately.

The owner was in a rush to move, so Tony and Lizzy were able to move in within two weeks after closing escrow. Tony now just had to convince Lizzy that they should get married.

It was now late April and Chloe had just come home for the summer after finishing her finals. The Gibbs house had a lot of excitement within the last few weeks. First, Tony and Lizzy had moved in together, then Annie found out that she had been accepted to MIT for their computer science/forensic program. It had always been her dream. Gibbs didn't want his last little girl to leave the house but she was and he had to accept it.

He was doing a sweep of he house like shutting off the lights and locking the doors. He was downstairs and went to the bathroom when he noticed a couple of open boxes in the trash. Upon closer inspection he saw that they were open pregnancy tests. Gibbs blinked a few times not believing what he was seeing before he became very angry. The only problem was he didn't know how to bring it up.

The next day, it was Sunday and the whole family was coming for dinner. Gibbs had been unusually quiet the whole day. During dessert, Jenny said, "Jethro, you have been quiet all day. Are you alright?"

"Yeah." He took a sip of his coffee and then said, "No. I'm not actually. I found something very interesting in the trash and I would like to know who it belongs to." He pulled out a bag filled with pregnancy test boxes and said, "I want to know who these belong to. Chloe? Annie? Are these yours?" When they didn't answer fast enough, he said, "Answer me!"

"No. They're not mine."

"Or mine."

"Lizzy? Rachel?" When he asked that, Tony was scared but he liked the thought of Lizzy being pregnant with his baby. He loved her and even though he didn't really liked kids but the thought of having one with Lizzy didn't seem like such a bad idea to him. It brought a smile to his face.

"Dad, I took a pregnancy test but it was negative." Rachel said.

"And I'm not pregnant either." Lizzy said. And just like that Tony's hopes were dashed.

"Jethro."

"Not now, Jen. Well these are somebody's test and I would like to know who's."

"They're mine." Jenny said.

"What?" Gibbs said shocked.

"They're mine, Jethro."

"Yours? How?"

"Jethro, you and I both know how. Anyways it doesn't matter because if you had looked at those tests properly, you would see that I am not pregnant. They were negative."

"Oh." Gibbs said.

Suffice it to say that it was a very awkward evening after that and everyone decided to go home early. Later that night, when Tony and Lizzy were lying in bed, Tony said, "Hey, Liz. Do you ever think about having kids?"

"With you?"

"No with McGee. Of course with me." He said with an eye roll.

"I mean yeah i've thought about it."

"How many do you want?"

"I don't know but I liked growing up in a big family. There was always someone there for you. To talk to, to play with, to be silly with. I guess I would want at least one boy and one girl but at least three kids. Why?"

"I would like to have a baby with you but I don't know if I can handle three."

"I'll be there with you every step of the way when that time comes. I love you and want to have your babies."

"Maybe we should practice a bit." Tony said.

"Maybe we should."

They continued to make love throughout the night and Tony held her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. He opened the side drawer and pulled out the engagement ring he had given her months ago. He looked at the ring for a moment before putting it on her finger. It was still a perfect fit. He smiled and went to sleep.


	63. Chapter 63

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 63

The next morning Lizzy woke up alone in bed. She heard Tony in the kitchen whistling while he cooked breakfast. Lizzy couldn't help but smile when she heard him. It felt like old times again. Like nothing had ever really changed between them.

Lizzy got up and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. As she was wiping her face, she found herself smiling. She hadn't smiled like this in a long time and it was all thanks to Tony. It was then that she noticed something shiny on her left hand. She looked down and saw her engagement ring that had not been on her finger for months.

"Tony, what is going on?" She said walking into the kitchen.

Tony turned around and smiled. He walked up to her, cupped her face, and kissed her deeply. When he pulled away, he asked, "What were you saying?"

Lizzy, who still had her eyes closed from the kiss, fluttered them open slowly and said, "I forgot." Tony couldn't help but grin and kiss her again. After making love again, Lizzy looked at Tony and said, "I remember what I was going to ask before."

"What?"

"What is this?" she said pointing to her left hand ring finger.

"Your engagement ring."

"I know what it is, Tony. My question is, how did it get there?"

"I put it on you last night?"

"Why?"

"Because I want us to go back to how it was before."

"Tony-"

"No, Liz, listen. I love you. With all of my being, I love you. And I know you love me just as deeply. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and that starts by marrying you. I know that everything went to shit in California but I just want to forget it all. I want to marry you. And there you have it, the ball is in your court. Do with that what you will." Tony said walking out of the room.

After a moment, Lizzy walked after him and said, "Tony. Look at me." He did so slowly. He knew that her answer would either make them or break them. If she said no, then he couldn't do this anymore and it would be over, for good. "O.k."

"What?"

"I said, o.k. I want to marry you too." Tony picked her up and spun her around.

They kept quiet about their engagement and were going to announce it at dinner Sunday night.

When they got to the Gibbs house, Tony and Lizzy were both beaming that everyone could tell that something was up. Gibbs couldn't take it anymore before saying, "All right, what's wrong with you two that has you grinning like idiots?"

"Do you want to tell them?" Lizzy asked Tony.

Tony lifted Lizzy's left hand and showed everyone the ring. "We're reengaged." Tony said.

After the congratulations, Lizzy was helping her mother in the kitchen. Jenny noticed that her daughter was in deep thought. "Sweetheart, what is it?"

"I just wished we didn't have to re-plan everything. I want to be able to just marry Tony."

"Well I have to tell you something that might just put your mind at ease."

"What?"

"I never canceled any of your wedding plans. I had them forward everything to me until further notice. I was waiting for you and Tony to get your heads out of your asses and realize that you two are perfect for each other."

"Mom, thank you." Lizzy said with tears in her eyes. I have to tell Tony.

After telling her fiance what Jenny had done, Tony said, " I can see why you were made Director of NCIS. You look at the big picture and plan ahead."

"Damn straight. Just don't screw up again." she said seriously.


	64. Chapter 64

AN: Sorry it's been a while but life got in the way. I tried to update yesterday but I had family matters. I want to wish TonyDeekNcisla a happy birthday. Also, what do you guys think should be the father daughter song. Give me some suggestions. I was thinking "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion. The long awaited wedding will be the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 64-

The months passed and it was a week before the wedding of Anthony DiNozzo and Elizabeth Gibbs. Thanks to Jenny, half of their wedding was already planned and prepared. The guests arrived from out of state and that along with their pending nuptials and Gibbs' reluctance to marry off his oldest daughter was putting a lot of strain and pressure on the young couple. Gibbs kept making comments that was causing problems for Tony and Lizzy. Lizzy was unable to get angry with her father and was instead taking out her frustrations out on Tony.

Tony tried to ease the tension between them by trying to talk to her and even buying her small gifts. One night, about a week before the wedding, Tony bought a cappuccino/latte maker for Lizzy. She always wanted one and hopefully it would make her smile, even laugh. Instead Lizzy got very angry and started yelling at Tony. Their argument got so bad, that Lizzy stormed out.

With tears in her eyes, Lizzy drove to her parent's house. She took out her key and opened the door. "Lizzy, what's wrong?" Jenny asked with concern. Gibbs was next to his wife and looked at his oldest daughter with sadness.

"Tony and I got into a fight. I think the wedding is off." She said sobbing openly.

"Why would the wedding be off?" Gibbs asked.

"We just got into this huge fight. I don't even know what we were fighting about. We have both just been so stressed and I just took my frustrations out on him. Then, tonight he brought a coffee maker home to try to get me to smile but I asked him if it was a joke. We just kept fighting and then I walked out. I don't know what to do."

Jenny got Lizzy settled on the couch and then went to talk to Gibbs. "Jethro, do something."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Jethro, you know that the added stress is due to you. You have been against this wedding from the start. Go talk to DiNozzo."

"Fine." Gibbs got up and went to Tony's house. When he came to the door, he knocked on the door. When Tony didn't open the door, Gibbs started banging on the door and said, "DiNozzo, open the door. We need to talk."

Tony finally opened the door. He had a glass of scotch in his hand and he motioned Gibbs into the house with his head. "Do you want a drink? We might have some bourbon around here somewhere." Tony said walking into the kitchen.

Gibbs sat at the island and took a sip of the drink that Tony offered to him. "Tony, we need to talk."

"About?"

"About this fight between you and Lizzy."

"I don't think it is any of your business."

"Tony-"

"Besides haven't you done enough. You have been against this wedding from the very beginning. You never wanted Lizzy and I to be together. And now you can have your wish."

"Tony, it's not that I didn't want you and Lizzy together. It was just that I wasn't ready to let go."

"And now you are?"

"I don't think I will ever be ready. But I know that she is in good hands with you because I see how much you love her and how much she loves you. How can I be a good father if I stand in the way of my daughter's happiness?"

Tony was quiet for a moment before Gibbs continued, "She's sorry about what happened. She wants to see you and more importantly she still wants to marry you. And if you still want to marry her, don't let me or anyone else get in your way."

Tony went to the Gibbs house and was immediately engulfed by a hug from Lizzy. "I'm sorry." she said looking into his eyes.

"No, I'm sorry." Tony said hugging her and then he kissed her passionately.

Gibbs watched them for a moment and then said, "Alright. That's enough. Save some for the wedding." The couple pulled apart and the couldn't help but laugh.

Three days before the wedding, Tony's father and family arrived into town along with Lizzy's family from California. They were staying at the same hotel but they had no idea until the rehearsal dinner that they were here for the same purpose.

During the rehearsal dinner, Celeste approached Lizzy and said, "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"

"Fine. Just a little anxious and nervous."

"Maybe that is a sign."

"A sign?"

"That you shouldn't marry this man. Sweetheart, he is too much like your father. He will hurt you the way your mother has been hurt by your father."

"Are you kidding me? Two days before I am to be married and you are saying this to me? You may be my grandmother, but you have no right to say this to me. I love Tony and he loves me. No one has ever loved me as much as he does. And if you can't understand that, then maybe you shouldn't come to my wedding."

She walked away and hugged Tony tightly. "Can we go home now?"

"Yeah. Let's go." Tony said seeing her distress. As they laid in bed that night, Lizzy snuggled up to Tony.

"I love you."

Tony kissed the top of her head and said, "I love you." This would be their last night together before they saw each other again during the wedding. Lizzy was going to be staying at her parent's house until the wedding. Tony just hoped that nothing happened until now and then.


	65. Chapter 65

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 65

The day had arrived. They had waited so long and now it was finally hear. Tony always felt that if this day ever came he would be anxious, nervous, nauseous, and terrified all at the same time, but shockingly he was very calm. In fact he was excited, he couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life with Liz. To him, she is perfect in every way and he couldn't have done better than her.

Unfortunately for Liz, she didn't feel the same way. She knew she loved Tony but something was bothering her about marrying him today. The night before she and Tony were to get married, she stayed up late and watched the stars.

Jenny had been working late in her office. She looked at her watch and saw that it was almost three and she had to be up by seven to get ready for the wedding. As she was walking upstairs, she saw Lizzy sitting up in her bed. "Lizzy, honey, what's wrong?"

Lizzy sighed before looking at her mom and asking, "Is my marriage to Tony killing dad?"

"Lizzy, your father is your father. He just wants you to be happy."

"But I am happy."

"Then don't let anyone stand in the way of your happiness. Not even your father."

"But how can I marry someone that dad isn't o.k. with?"

"By understanding these two things: One. Your father will respect every decision that you make. And two. Don't live for him, live for yourself. Believe me, you don't want to reach the end of your life and realize that your mistakes outweigh your moments of bliss. Live your life the way you want to and the hell with everyone else. I did and I wouldn't change it for anything."

"Thanks, mom."

"Come on, you should be in bed. You have a busy day tomorrow."

Jenny tucked Lizzy into her bed and as she was getting up, Lizzy grabbed her mother's hand and said, "Will you stay with me? Until I fall asleep?"

Jenny smiled and nodded. She laid down next to her daughter and smoothed out her hair and kissed the crown of her head. "Mom, were you scared when you married dad?"

"Very. I almost didn't go through with the wedding."

"What happened?"

"I realized how much I loved your father and how I didn't want to spend the rest of my life wondering what if. Now go to sleep."

The next day, Lizzy woke up to a sea of women looking at her. "Why do I feel like I'm about to be sacrificed?" Lizzy asked warily.

All of her female relatives laughed and pulled her. They put her in the shower while they got themselves ready and laid out everything for Lizzy. Jenny had hired four hairstylists and three make-up artists to get all of the women ready. By the time it was Lizzy's turn, everyone was throwing out ideas about what she should look like. In the end, her hair was curled into big waves that were placed into an elegant bun on top of her head with jewels all throughout and white rose on the left side. Her make-up was a simple smokey eye but they made her eyes look very cat-like. Her dress was tight at the top with jewels all over the it and on the sleeves that rested on the top of her arms. From the waist it puffed out a bit but not a lot.

The last thing to be put on her was an elegant pearl necklace that Tony's father had given to Lizzy the day before. According to Senior, the necklace had been the same one Tony's mother wore on her wedding day and it was passed down from mother to daughter. He told her, Monica would have wanted Lizzy to have them.

Everyone was finally ready and were being ushered into cars after taking some pictures at the house. Gibbs and Lizzy were riding in a separate car from everyone else. He was speechless, he had never seen his daughter look this beautiful ever.

They walked into the church in silence and waited until they had to begin. After about a half hour of waiting, Gibbs felt the call of nature and felt he better take care of it then and there. Gibbs kissed his daughter's cheek and said, "I'll be right back alright?"

Lizzy just nodded and watched Gibbs walk to the bathroom. The ushers were walking down the aisle now Lizzy became overwhelmed, within an hour she would be a married woman and she didn't know if she was ready or not. She saw the doors open to the church and quickly walked outside. She didn't know what to do but she knew she couldn't marry Tony just yet but she didn't know why.

Gibbs walked back to his place in the line and saw that Lizzy was missing. He saw Amber in front of him playing with her basket and asked, "Amber, where's Aunt Lizzy?"

"I think she went outside to get some air."

"O.k."

"Mr. Gibbs should the bridesmaids not start their walk down the aisle then?" Tessa asked.

"Start it just do it very slowly. Same goes for you flower girls. I'll find her." As Gibbs was walking outside, he bumped into an old friend.

"Well if it isn't my probie. How do you feel about marrying off another one of your daughters." Mike Franks asked while carrying his granddaughter and standing next to his daughter-in-law.

Gibbs smiled and said, "Mike, I'd feel better if I could find her."

"What do you mean?"

"I think she has cold feet and ran off somewhere."

Gibbs handed Amira to her mother and said, "I'll help you look for her."

The two ran around the church and they found her hunched over in a little corner breathing heavily trying to calm down. "I'll leave this to you, Probie."

Gibbs walked over to Lizzy and sat down next to her. "I know what you're going to say, dad."

"You do?"

"Yeah, about how good marines don't run."

"That's not what I was going to say."

"Then what?"

"I was going to ask you why you ran?"

"Because I can't do it. I can't marry Tony."

"Why not?"

"I don't know."

"Don't give me that bullshit. You know exactly why. So say it out loud so we can deal with it."

"I can't marry someone that you don't approve of."

"Who says I don't approve of him?"

"You have."

"When?"

"Well not in those exact words but its your snide and snarky comments. You were never like this with Rachel and Jason."

"Lizzy, you have to understand that you are different from all of your siblings. After I lost Shannon and Kelly I never thought I would ever fall in love or ever have a family again. That all changed with your mother. She taught me to love again and you made us a family. I was always protective of you. Maybe more than I should have been." Gibbs was quiet for a few minutes before continuing, "Do you know what every father's worst fear is for their daughters?"

"Yeah, that they'll end up with the wrong guy."

"Wrong, it's that they'll end up with the right guy. It means that our jobs as the protector is officially over. I guess I just wasn't ready to stop being yours after all of this time. It never had anything to do with Tony. It was my own fears. Tony is the perfect guy for you and don't lose him over something like this. Now come on. We have to get you to the church and married to the man of your dreams." Gibbs got up and offered his hands to her.

Lizzy got up and hugged her father. "I love you, dad."

"I love you too."

"And just so you know, you will never lose me."

They walked inside and heard murmuring from the church hall. Gibbs stuck his head through the door and signaled for the music.

Gibbs walked Lizzy down the aisle and watched his daughter get married. He was in such a haze that he didn't even register that it was time for the kiss until he heard the priest say, "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." Tony kissed Lizzy passionately before dipping her and kissing her more deeply causing everyone in the church to cheer. Gibbs couldn't keep the smile off his face when he saw how happy his daughter was and he realized what a fool he was for almost ruining it.

AN: O.k. So next chapter is the reception and the honeymoon. Please give me some ideas for the first dance and the father daughter dance. I don't know when I'll update because I have finals in a few weeks. I'm going to try to have this chapter up by next week.


	66. Chapter 66

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 66

As they sat down in the limo, Tony and Liz were quiet for a moment before looking at each other and smiling and laughing. Tony gently cupped her cheeks and looked into her eyes. "You look so beautiful."

"And you look so handsome." she said after he kissed her sweetly. "I didn't think this day would ever come."

"I did." Tony said.

"How? How did you know after everything we went through we would eventually end up here?"

"Because we love each other too much to not be here today. In fact I knew we would get married after out third date."

"You mean the one where we went horse back riding and you fell flat on your back and were seeing stars for ten minutes. And what was that cheesy line that you used? Something about me being an angel or something like that?"

"My exact words were that God must be missing an angel because one is hovering over me."

"That is just as cheesy now as it was then." She kissed him lightly before continuing, "But it's still just as sweet." and she kissed him again.

"Hey, the sweetest things in life are cheesy." He said seriously causing Lizzy to laugh out loud.

"That is the most hilarious thing I have ever heard. But I like it." Lizzy then looked and motioned to Tony that they were at the hotel. "Do we have to go in?"

"Too late to turn back now."

"Can't we just go to our honeymoon now?"

"That is a tempting offer, but we need to go in. I want to show off my wife and have everyone see that I am the luckiest son of a bitch there is. And that will never change as long as I have you." Tony said kissing her.

First stop was taking pictures with the entire bridal party while the guest enjoyed the cocktail hour. Then they met with the dj and videographer that were telling them how everything was going to be set-up for them when they walked in. Finally it was time for the bridal party to enter the hall. Tony and Liz waited in the back until they heard, "And for the first time anywhere, please welcome and congratulate, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony DiNozzo."

Everyone cheered when they walked in and they couldn't help the big smiles that spread on their faces. Tony led his wife to the dance floor and the first song began to play, "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston followed by the acoustic version of "Teenage Dream" (Glee version people, it is amazing) and "I Swear" by the All-4-One.

Afterwards, they sat down dinner and toasts. After the bridal party, Senior stood up and began his speech. "Junior was always a very rambunctious and precocious boy. His mother worried that he would be wild his entire life. I think that all changed when he met Lizzy. I saw the difference in him. He was calmer and more relaxed. He found his peace. And that is all I ever could have wanted for you, son. And I'm proud to say that I have a wonderful new daughter as well. Make good choices with each other and love each other. There will be some bad days, but when those times come, remember all of the good times. I love you both. To the happy couple." He raised his glass in a toast and then took a sip.

Eventually it was Gibbs' turn to give a speech. When Jenny nudged him, it was then that he realized that he had nothing prepared. "Umm, right. When my daughter was born. I swore that I would protect her and anyone that she cared about. The last person I ever saw my daughter with was my goofball probie who could quote every movie known to man. The hardest thing as a parent was learning how to let go. But it is easier when your letting go of someone you love to someone who loves them just as much as you do. To my daughter and to my new son I have this piece of advice. Be good to each other. That will make it easier to get through all the good and bad times. I love you both. Yes, even you, Tony." Causing everyone to chuckle.

Lizzy got up and hugged her father tightly. "Thank you, daddy."

Gibbs kissed her on the cheek. When he let go of his daughter and turned to Tony, the two men looked at each other before they hugged each other. Tony said, "Thank you, boss."

"Your welcome, son. Just remember, if you hurt her, I will not hesitate to kill you."

"I would gladly take on any pain to save her any ounce of heartache. And that is the truth."

"I know it is. Otherwise this wedding wouldn't be happening right now. Take care of her. I'm trusting you."

"I will."

"Lizzy, may I have this dance?" Gibbs asked.

"Of course."

"I hope you remember this song." Gibbs whispered. Then "I Loved Her First" by Heartland began to play.

Lizzy laughed and hugged her father tightly. "Only you would pick a cowboy song, Mr. Wayne."

"Well I thought it was appropriate." He said with a smile.

After what seemed like taking a thousand pictures, it was time for the final two acts of the night: throwing the bouquet and throwing the grabbed the bouquet and McGee caught the garter. The couple left the reception hall and went up to the honeymoon suite after everyone left. They could hardly contain themselves before the door even closed.


	67. Chapter 67

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 67

(Sexy scene right off the bat. You've been warned!)

Tony was kissing her with hot sloppy kisses and she was responding just as enthusiastically. "Babe, I need to feel all of you." Tony said in between kisses.

Lizzy turned around and Tony started kissing her neck while undoing the buttons on her dress. By the time he finished all of the buttons, Tony quickly turned her around and started kissing her again. He tried to push Lizzy's dress down but Lizzy kept holding it up. "Tony, just give me a minute."

"What? Why?"

"I want to make myself even more beautiful for you."

"I don't think you can be even more beautiful than you are right now." He said caressing her cheek.

"Just give me five minutes. While I get ready, why don't you open that bottle of champagne?"

"Alright, hurry up though." Tony said slapping her ass lightly as she walked by him into the bathroom still clutching the dress to her chest.

Lizzy fixed her makeup and the white lingerie she had picked for the night and then walked out of the bathroom to see what Tony was doing. Tony had the bottle of champagne in his hand and he was loosening the cork. "Tony, are you ready?" Tony looked at her and he accidentally released the cork when he saw her. It flew to the other side of the room.

"Wow, you look incredible."

"Thank you." She walked over to the bed and sat down and gave Tony a come hither look. Tony poured the champagne into glasses and walked over to Lizzy. He handed her one of the glasses, they clinked them and they each took a sip. Tony couldn't take his eyes off her. After they finished their champagne, Tony took the glasses and placed them on the nightstand. He looked at her and began kissing her deeply while pushing her down gently on the bed.

He started kissing her neck while he started loosening the corset top. He pulled away for a moment just to look at her and he thought of her as a sexy angel with the way her hair was splayed out on the pillow and hooded look in her eyes.

Lizzy started running her hands down Tony's body until she reached the edge of his boxers. She pulled them down with her hands and legs and found his dick. She started pumping him lightly with one hand and she gently squeezed his balls with the other hand. Tony gasped and moaned and threw his head back. He shut his eyes from the sensation and became even harder from what Lizzy was doing to him.

Tony finally had enough and grabbed Lizzy's hands, stopping her from doing anything else to him. He took of her corset top and started kissing the top of her chest all the way down to her naval and then back up to her left nipple. After placing a light kiss on it, he started sucking on it. Lizzy brought her hands up to Tony's head and clutched his hair.

Tony's left hand began to move down her body and he pulled her panties down her body. His left hand started playing with her wet center before he pushed two fingers inside her. "Oh God." Lizzy gasped. Tony's right hand started attending to her neglected breast. He started working her faster and faster until she came hard. Tony then entered her quickly and there was nothing slow about their lovemaking. It was raw and passionate.

They made love many different ways that night and they craved it all.

(End scene).

Tony and Lizzy enjoyed their time in the Caribbean. They bought presents for everyone and enjoyed great food and even greater sex. Tony even convinced Lizzy to having sex on the beach one night.

When they got back, Tony went back to work immediately. Lizzy had the day off and was with her sister Rachel. They were goofing off and talking about Lizzy's honeymoon. "I'm starved, what have you got around here?" Rachel said walking into the kitchen. "Not much. Tony and I haven't had much of a chance to go shopping."

"Fine. Let's order a pizza." They ordered an everything pizza and waited thirty minutes for it to be delivered. When they got it and opened the box, Lizzy turned green when she smelled the onions and ran into the bathroom to throw up.

She leaned her head against the tile and tried to calm her stomach down. "Lizzy, are you o.k.?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure because the only time I have ever seen you throw up is when you had the stomach bug."

"I'm fine. I promise."

"Lizzy, do you think you can be pregnant?"

"No that's impossible. Tony and I have been using contraception."

"Those aren't a hundred percent."

"I can't be pregnant. Can I?"

"Come on. Let's go get a pregnancy test."


	68. Chapter 68

Disclaimer: I don't NCIS.

Chapter 68

They rushed home after getting the test and the two of them locked themselves in the bathroom. "How do you not have a pregnancy test in your house yet?" Rachel asked.

"Because I didn't think Tony and I would be in this position this soon in our marriage. Are you and Jason trying?"

"No, we want to wait a bit before it happens but if we get pregnant before that, we'll deal with it."

"Oh God this is the longest five minutes of my life!"

"Relax. It's done. You ready to find out if you're going to be a mommy or not?"

"Just tell me."

A few hours later, Lizzy went to NCIS to see Tony. When she got off on their floor, she didn't see him or anyone else from her father's team. She went down to the training room to see if they were there and she found Tony and McGee sparing in the ring. She walked over to them and asked, "Hey, Tony, are you busy?"

"What's it look like, babe?"

"Tony, there's something important I need to tell you."

"Go ahead."

"Well can we do it in private?"

"Babe, just tell me is something wrong?" he said throwing a few punches at McGee.

"No."

"Then whatever it is I can handle it."

"Are you sure you can handle anything?"

"Of course, babe." he said dodging McGee's right cross.

"O.k. I'm pregnant."

"What?" Tony said tearing his eyes away from McGee. He didn't see the left cross that McGee threw before it was too late and he was on the ground.

"Tony!" Lizzy climbed into the ring along with Ziva and Gibbs.

Lizzy started patting Tony's cheek trying to wake him up. "Ziva, go get some cold water." Gibbs said. When she returned with the water, Gibbs took it and poured it on Tony's head effectively waking him up.

"Tony, are you o.k.?"

"Yeah, I just, I just have a really big headache, and I'm seeing two of you right now, babe." Tony said laughing.

"Come on, DiNozzo, let's go see Ducky. McGee, help." Gibbs and McGee lifted Tony up and helped him down to autopsy.

"Well I don't see anything besides this bump. You're going to have a headache for a while so I would recommend some aspirin. There's also a possibility that you may have a mild concussion, so-"

"I know the drill, Ducky."

"Don't worry, Ducky, I'll make sure he is a good patient."

"I know Elizabeth. May I say that you are just glowing."

"Thank you." She said with a smile.

"Umm, Ducky, do you and Palmer mind giving Liz and I a moment alone. There's something we need to talk about."

"Of course. Come along Mr. Palmer. Everyone out, let's give the couple a few minutes alone."

"Tony, are you sure, you're o.k.?"

"Yeah. But did I hear you right, are you pregnant?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"I took a test, I have all of the symptoms, and I took an emergency trip to the doctor and I just got the results fifteen minutes before I came here. I wanted to be sure before I told you. I knew you were going to freak out, it just didn't know it was going to be like this."

"Well, babe, can you blame me, it is a shock. I mean I didn't think we were ready for kids. Are you ready for kids?"

"Well, no but who is ever really ready for a baby? And we always talked about having them, are you regretting that decision now?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying, I just thought that we would have few years together before all of this happened. I wanted a year or two with you just being my wife and me being your husband before we became a mommy and daddy. I don't think I'm ready to share you just yet."

"Come on, Tony, that is such bullshit. What is the real problem?"

"I just told you."

"No you told me what you thought I would want to hear over what is really bothering you and I want to know what that is."

"Fine you want the truth?"

"Yes."

"I don't think I'll be a good father. I didn't have much of a father figure growing up. My dad he would ingnore me until I did something wrong and then he would yell at me. And when I became too much for him to handle, he sent me away to boarding school and summer camp. I don't want that type of relationship with my kid. I want to be there for them."

"Then be there for them, Tony. It's as simple as that. The fact that it's worrying you about what kind of father you are going to be and the baby is not even born yet, it means that you are going to be a great daddy."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"When's your next appointment?"

"Three weeks from Thursday. Why?"

"Because I want to be there." She kissed him and hugged him tightly.

"Tony, I want to keep this between us for now. So let's not tell anyone just yet."

"Alright. But I did want to brag about it."

"Tony."

"Fine, I'll be a good boy and be quiet."

"Thank you."

"I got your back, babe." As the two walked out of autopsy, Tony began to worry again. He didn't think he was going to be a good father. But he couldn't tell Lizzy that, she needed him right now and he needed to put his feelings aside and help her with the pregnancy.

AN: Thank you so much for all your reviews and support. If you have any ideas for this story, let me know and I just might put it in. Also, I am currently working on a Hawaii 5-0 story and a Pirates of the Caribbean story so if you like either of those, read and review those stories too.


	69. Chapter 69

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 69

Tony and Liz went to their second doctor's visit and she was now seven weeks along and Tony and Lizzy had been married for about a month now. They found that everything with the baby was normal and they couldn't be happier.

Tony dropped Lizzy off at her work and went back to the Navy Yard. "Tony, you alright?"

"I'm fine, Ziva. Why are you asking?"

"McGee said that you went to the doctor. Are you alright, or is this another undercover mission like the frog?"

"This is nothing like the frog and if you must know the doctor's appointment isn't for me."

"Then who was it for?"

"It was for Lizzy." Tony said before he could stop himself.

Gibbs who had been sitting at his desk not paying attention now perked up when his daughter's name was mentioned. "What's wrong with my daughter, DiNozzo?"

"Boss, we're family now, don't you think you can call me Tony?"

"Don't get cute with me. What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing it was just a routine check-up and they ran some routine tests."

"So why did you have to drive her? Where was her car?"

"I just wanted to take her. Spend a little bit of time with her. We have been working so much that I haven't had much time to spend with my own wife. I just wanted to be with her. That's it."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"If there is anything wrong with her-"

"You will be the first to know, boss."

One week later, all hell broke loose. Tony had been monitoring all of Michael Rivkin's activity along with Ziva's. He knew that the two were in contact with each other and he was worried about what would happen to her. He didn't trust Rivkin and wanted Ziva to see what he had on the Mossad agent.

When he went over there, he didn't find Ziva, but Rivkin. "Where's Ziva?"

"She went out, but will return soon. Do you want to come in?"

"Yeah."

"What did you want to talk to Ziva about?"

"A case."

"Oh? Is it the Abin Tabal case?"

"That's none of your business."

"So it is."

"Yeah, it is. I need to talk to Ziva because I don't believe it was suicide that killed Abin Tabal. I believe it was a homicide orchestrated by you but not before you set him up for murder. Michael Rivkin, you are under arrest for the murders of Abin Tabal and Agent Sherman."

"You can't arrest me, Agent DiNozzo."

"Oh yes I can."

Tony and Michael started fighting each other. It wasn't a simple brawl, they were out for blood. Tony finally found his chance to try and stop the fight and pushed him into the the glass coffee table. Rivkin was hurt due to a glass shard in his side. However, that didn't stop Rivkin. He picked up a glass shard and was about to attack Tony with it. Tony pulled out his gun and shot him in the chest. That was when Ziva walked in through the door.

After taking Rivkin to the hospital, they found that there was nothing they could have done for him. They went back to NCIS to give their report to Gibbs and the Director. By the time Tony made it home, it was four in the morning. He started packing a bag quietly so as to not wake his sleeping wife. By the time he was finished, he kissed his wife on the cheek and went into the kitchen to make some coffee.

The kiss on the cheek caused Lizzy to stir awake. "Tony?" When she didn't see anything, she put on her robe and went down into the kitchen. "Tony?" she said seeing him sitting at the kitchen table. He turned around and looked at his wife and smiled briefly before looking back into his coffee cup. "What's wrong?" she said hugging him from behind.

"You know that guy that Ziva has been seeing, Rivkin?"

"Yeah. What about him?"

"I went to Ziva's to talk to her about Rivkin being a murderer and found him there. When I tried to arrest him, he resisted and we fought. He was -"

"Oh, Tony, you didn't? Is Rivkin dead?"

"Yeah. I shot him."

"Oh my god. What happens now?"

"I have to go to Israel and plead my case to Mossad. Your parents and Assistant Director Vance is coming with Ziva and I."

"Tony just tell the truth. You haven't done anything wrong. Just be careful with Mossad."

"I have to go but be careful, alright. I don't want anything to happen to you or our baby."

"I will. I love you. Come back to us. We need you. You promised me forever, don't do anything that will ruin that."

"I won't. I love you too." He kissed her before he kissed her stomach and left.


	70. Chapter 70

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 70

The plane ride was very quiet and beyond tense and awkward. No one knew what to say to each other. Ziva and Tony were sitting on opposite sides of the jet while Gibbs, Jenny, and Vance were discussing the situation amongst themselves. The only problem was that Ziva and Tony knew what the three were talking about.

Once they landed in Tel Aviv, they were greeted by the Director of Mossad, Eli David, and two other Mossad agents. Eli greets Jenny and Vance and gives Tony a look of contempt. On their way to the complex, it was eerily silent in the car. At the complex, Tony was waiting in the hallway. Jenny, Gibbs, and Vance were in a meeting with Eli while Ziva was in a meeting with Rivkin's control officer. Shouting could be heard from both rooms; Tony was trying to figure out which room the noise was louder.

Then the doors opened to Eli's office and Gibbs, Jenny, and Vance walked out and looked at Tony. "Well I guess it's my turn for a meeting with the principal's office."

Jenny grabbed Tony's arm and whispered in his ear, "Be careful."

"I will."

Tony walked into the office and sat down in front of Eli David. Tony being quite uncomfortable in his current situation began to do what Tony does best, ramble and make jokes. Eli finally had enough and said, "Do you know who you are talking to?"

Tony became very serious and said. "To the Director of Mossad, and Ziva's father, although I'm not sure which one is asking the questions."

The two continued to bicker for a while before Tony began to question him about Rivkin. It was the wrong thing to ask. "Rivkin was following his orders. Now get out of my sight."

Tony walked outside and looked at his watch, he saw that it was four in the afternoon in Tel Aviv, meaning it was nine in the morning in D.C. He decided to call Lizzy and see how she was doing. The phone rang a few times before Lizzy finally picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hey, babe." Tony said smiling upon hearing his wife's voice.

"Tony! How is Tel Aviv?"

"It's hot and different and I miss my favorite girl."

"Awww."

"Do you miss me?"

"A little."

"Only a little? I'm wounded. That really hurts to hear, Lizzy."

Lizzy laughed before saying, "O.k. I miss you a lot. When are you coming home? It's lonely here without you, especially at night when I'm in bed."

Tony groaned and said, "Liz, you're killing me here."

"Oh, I know."

"You just wait until I get home. You're not going to be able to walk."

"Tony, you know we can't have crazy jack-rabbit sex anymore."

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle." Tony saw Ziva walking out of the complex when he said, "Hey, babe, I have to go but I'll call you later."

"Alright, I love you."

"I love you too. Bye." Tony hung up and ran after Ziva. "Ziva. Ziva, slow down. I had no choice."

Ziva scoffed and said, "That's a lie."

"Why would I lie?"

"To save your worthless ass."

"From who? Vance? Jenny? Mossad?"

"You jeopardized your entire career and life, and for what?"

"For you. He was playing you, Ziva."

"For some reason, you felt it was your job? To protect me? I am not your wife. You already have a wife, you should be focused on her not me."

"I did what I had to do."

"You killed him."

"If I hadn't, you'd be having this conversation with him. But maybe that's the way yo'd prefer it."

"Perhaps I would!"

"O.k. why don't you just get this out? You want to take a punch? Take a swing? Get it out of your system! Go ahead, do it!"

"Be careful, Tony, because much like Michael, I only need one."

"And that's what you're really angry about, isn't it? That's what's bothering you. It's not that he's dead. It's that your Mossad boyfriend got his ass kicked by a chump like me."

"You took advantage of him."

"He attacked me. What was I supposed to-"

Ziva attacked Tony and pushed him down on the ground. She put her knee on his chest so he couldn't move and leaned over him, "You saw a glass table, you pushed him back, you dropped him on it, he was impaled in the side by a shard of glass, bloody, gasping for air!"

"I see you read my report." Tony whispered."

"I memorized it! You could have left it at that, you could've walked away, but no, you let him up! You put a bullet in his chest!" She took out her gun and pressed up against Tony's chest.

"You weren't there."

"You could've put one in his leg."

"You.. weren't... there."

"But I should have been!"

"You loved him."

"I guess I'll never know." Ziva gets off Tony and walks back into the complex leaving Tony dazed on the ground.

At the air strip in Tel Aviv, Tony watched Ziva and Gibbs talking from the plane. After a moment of the two of them talking, Gibbs walked away from Ziva leaving her at the air strip by herself. "One short, boss?"

"Let's go." Gibbs said to the pilot.

When they got to D.C. the four of them went straight to the NCIS building. "Tony!" Abby said hugging her friend and colleague.

"Welcome back, Tony." McGee and Palmer said.

"Hi." Tony said sitting at his desk after getting out of Abby's tight grip.

"Where's Ziva?" Abby asked.

When Tony didn't answer, McGee asked, "So, she's getting her stuff?"

"No."

"She's parking the car?" Abby asked.

"No."

"Well, what is she doing?" McGee inquired.

"Well, considering the time difference, probably eating breakfast."

"She's still in Tel Aviv?" Palmer asked.

"Yep."

"Well, when is she coming back?"

"She's not."

"No! This can't happen again! What is The Director thinking letting this happen again?" Abby asked outraged.

"It wasn't the Director's call."

"Then who's call was it?"

Before Tony could answer the elevator opened to reveal Lizzy. "Excuse me." Tony got up and kissed his wife. "I'll see you guys later. I'm going home to make love to my wife." Tony gathered his things and went home and did just that.

The next day, Tony was sitting at his desk while starring at Ziva's. He took out his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he reached Ziva's number. Gibbs came up to him and said, "I guess she'll call when she is ready."

After three months, and many failed attempts to replace Ziva with another female agent, Tony came home one night and packed a quick overnight bag. "Tony, what's going on?" Lizzy asked.

"We're going after Ziva."

"You found her?"

"We think so."

"Where is she?"

"I can't tell you that."

"If you can't tell me, that means she's somewhere dangerous."

"Don't worry I'll be fine. I'll have McGee and Gibbs to back me up."

"I still don't like it."

"I know. I don't either." He hugged her tightly and put his chin on top of her head. "Liz, listen, I may not be able to contact you for a while but don't worry. I will find a way to talk to you."

"Just promise me you will come back in one piece."

"I will. I love you."

"I love you too."

Tony kissed her one more time before kissing her stomach. At NCIS, he found McGee and Gibbs ready to leave. "You guys ready?" Gibbs asked.

"Yup."

"Let's go then." As they were walking to the elevator it opened to reveal Jenny. "Jen, what are you doing here?"

"What do you think?" She said.

"Oh no. You can't besides you are the director, how did you get clearance for this."

"I have some vacation days coming up so I sent in my leave to the SecNav. Vance is going to act as Acting Director for the time being."

"Jen, no-"

"Jethro, this is not going to be like La Grenouille. Ziva is my friend and I still owe her for saving my life in Cairo. She came in alone and against orders to save me. This is the least I can do for her."

"Alright. Let's go then."


	71. Chapter 71

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 71

While Tony and the rest of the team were in the Middle East, Lizzy was struggling to be home by herself. Since both of her parents were in Somalia, Annie had been staying in their guest room and since she was at school that day, Lizzy had nothing to do because it was her day off. Ever since she became pregnant, Tony had become paranoid about all the things she could and couldn't do and he forced Lizzy to do little to nothing around the house. Not being able to take the silence in the house, Lizzy got in the car and just drove. She ended up at NCIS and went into the building.

She got off the elevator on her father's floor and looked over at the empty desks. Since the MCRT was on leave, Rachel's undercover unit was taking over for them until they returned.

Lizzy started thinking about the team and their witty banter. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Vance come into the bullpen. "Lizzy? Is that you?"

Lizzy turned around and smiled at the Deputy Director. "Assistant Director Vance, it's good to see you again."

"You two. You look radiant. Something is different about you."

"Oh is there? I hadn't noticed." She said with a soft smile.

"Well then, what can I do for you today?"

"Honestly, I was at home and I couldn't stand the silence in the house anymore. Is there any news?"

"None yet. I spoke to your mother briefly three days ago and she told me that they had arrived at Somalia but other than that I haven't heard from her. But that doesn't mean that something is wrong. I'm sure they are both alright."

"Yeah. I guess."

Just then the elevators opened and a tall goth walked through the doors. "Assistant Director Vance, I need to know where Gibbs and his team are. It's been four days already. El Jefe needs to come home. We won't last without him and the Director and Tony and McGee and Ziva. Assistant Director you need to go get them."

"Ms. Scuito, I spoke to Director Shepard recently and she told me that they have arrived in Somalia and are now pursuing Ziva. Don't worry they will be back soon." Vance said.

Abby huffed and then she noticed that Lizzy was there. "Oh, Lizzy, I can't even imagine what you are going through with your husband on this suicide mission." she said hugging Lizzy tightly. Once they pulled away, Abby held Lizzy out at arms' length and looked at her scrutinizingly.

"Come on. Ducky and Jimmy will love to see you." They linked arms and went downstairs to autopsy.

As soon as they walked in, it was obvious that Jimmy and Ducky were talking about the current situation around NCIS. Jimmy looked up and motioned for Ducky to be quiet. The aging doctor turned around and smiled when he saw Lizzy and Abby in the doorway. "Ahh, Abigail, so nice to see you today and it looks like you have brought someone with us. Elizabeth, my dear, it is so good to see you again. Or should I call you, Mrs. DiNozzo?"

"Ducky, Elizabeth is fine, you know that." She said with a smile before hugging both of them.

"So how is married life treating you?" Palmer asked.

"It's good but I didn't realize how hard it would be for Tony to go away on missions. Thank god he is not a full time under cover agent. I don't think I would be able to handle that. I just want my husband to come home safe and sound soon."

"Don't worry we all want that."

They talked for a bit longer before, before Abby grabbed Lizzy's arm and lead her to her lab. Once there, Abby, closed the door and turned to face Lizzy. "Alright, spill."

"What?" Lizzy asked confused.

"What is up with you? You have this glow about you. And no offense but you have gained some weight. So I guess my question really is, are you pregnant?"

"Abby, don't be ridiculous."

"You know you suck at lying."

"Abby, please."

"So it's true. You are pregnant. This is amazing." She said hugging her tightly before pulling away and saying, "Oh sorry, I guess I have to watch how tightly I hug you now."

"Abby, you can hug me as tight as you want. But you have to promise me something."

"What?"

"You can't tell anyone that I'm pregnant. Tony and I want to do that together. So please, don't say anything."

"Of course I won't say anything. Just remember that when it's time to name the baby."

"Deal."

In Somalia at the same time.

Gibbs and Jenny were in the shadows waiting for DiNozzo's signal for the perfect moment. "You know we haven't been on a mission like this since Paris." Jenny said.

"A mission like this?"

"You know undercover and recon."

"What about when you first became Director and we went looking for Ari?"

"That doesn't count."

"Why not?"

"Because we were not partners nor was it a sanctioned mission."

"It may have not been sanctioned but you will always be my partner, Jen."

"Awww, Jethro, you are getting sentimental in your old age."

"Shut up, woman. You ready?"

"Absolutely."

Two days later, they arrived back at NCIS and were greeted by all of their coworkers. When they got off the elevator everyone applauded them for their bravery. Tony stood near Jenny, Tim, and Gibbs watching Ziva interact with Abby. Gibbs looked around smiled. "Hey, DiNozzo, I think there is someone over there that wants to see you."

Tony looked to where Gibbs was pointing and couldn't help but smile upon seeing his wife. He walked over to her and hugged her tightly before kissing her.


End file.
